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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. face — part of the head
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mug — to rob
  5. board — to get on
  6. face — to confront
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. clip — a video
  10. mug — a cup
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bore — to drill
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. board — a committee
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. face — to point toward
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. clip — for paper
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mug — a face
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bore — gave birth

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