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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. suit — in cards
  3. march — the month
  4. clip — a video
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. root — of a word
  7. bore — to drill
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. root — of a plant
  10. clip — to cut
  11. suit — to fit
  12. sharp — clever
  13. root — the cause
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. suit — clothes
  16. march — the month
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bore — to tire
  19. march — music
  20. kid — to tease
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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