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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. staff — employees
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. fine — all right
  6. object — a thing
  7. staff — a stick
  8. object — to protest
  9. bore — to tire
  10. object — an aim
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wound — an injury
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bore — to drill
  20. staff — employees
  21. clip — for paper
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. clip — a video
  24. root — the cause

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