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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 124 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bore — to drill
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. shower — to wash
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitch — completely
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. clip — to cut
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. clip — a video
  14. bore — to tire
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. prune — to trim
  17. clip — for paper
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. shower — rain
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. capital — a city
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. calf — a young animal

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