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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bore — to tire
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. ground — the earth
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bore — to drill
  7. suit — to fit
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cue — a hint
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. clip — to cut
  14. ground — crushed
  15. clip — a video
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. cue — for pool
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. cue — a signal
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. suit — in cards
  24. ground — a position

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