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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. file — a tool
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. file — a line of people
  8. can — a tin
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. current — electric
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. spring — a coil
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. current — happening now
  17. can — a tin
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. can — to be able to
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. file — a document
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. current — of water

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