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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 116 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. clip — for paper
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. clip — a video
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. current — electric
  11. vault — a safe
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. object — a thing
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bore — to tire
  17. current — happening now
  18. object — an aim
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pass — a permit
  21. object — to protest
  22. face — part of the head
  23. current — of water
  24. wind — moving air

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