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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. tear — to rip
  3. track — a song
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rule — government
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rule — a law
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. clip — a video
  11. track — to keep track
  12. tube — the underground
  13. track — a path
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bore — to tire
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. clip — for paper
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tube — a container
  24. saw — the tool

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