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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. charge — in control
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rash — hasty
  7. row — a line
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. mark — a trace
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. clip — for paper
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rash — a series
  19. prune — to trim
  20. drill — army training
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. charge — a price
  23. prune — the fruit
  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