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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. hand — help
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bore — to tire
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bore — to drill
  11. present — there
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. present — the time now
  15. rock — a stone
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. mine — for digging
  19. present — a gift
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. clip — to cut
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rock — music
  24. sharp — with an edge

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