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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bore — to drill
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. fine — high quality
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bore — to tire
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. clip — a video
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. fine — all right
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mug — a cup
  21. foot — a measure
  22. clip — for paper
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. lie — an untruth

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