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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. tear — to rip
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bore — to tire
  6. tear — from crying
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rest — a break
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ball — a dance
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. clip — to cut
  16. firm — steady
  17. ball — a great time
  18. firm — decided
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. firm — a company
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rest — what's left
  23. kick — in football
  24. bore — to drill

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