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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. charge — a price
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. drill — the tool
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — electricity
  10. drill — army training
  11. clip — to cut
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fork — in a road
  19. lie — to recline
  20. kid — child
  21. degree — from a university
  22. kid — to tease
  23. drill — a practice
  24. clip — for paper

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