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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. present — the time now
  3. bore — to drill
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wound — an injury
  6. present — a gift
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. key — in music
  12. mate — a friend
  13. clip — a video
  14. present — there
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bore — to tire
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mate — to breed
  23. key — for a lock
  24. clip — for paper

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