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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. content — the amount
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. clip — a video
  8. degree — from a university
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bore — to tire
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. can — a tin
  15. degree — an amount
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. content — happy
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. degree — temperature
  21. clip — for paper
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. can — a tin
  24. clip — to cut

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