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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. ground — a position
  3. clip — to cut
  4. ground — the earth
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. march — the month
  8. object — a thing
  9. fine — all right
  10. clip — a video
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. roll — a cake
  14. row — to paddle
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bore — to tire
  17. object — an aim
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. object — to protest
  21. bore — to drill
  22. ground — crushed
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com