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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. court — of a king
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bore — to tire
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. deal — to handle
  10. clip — a video
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. court — for sport
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. clip — for paper
  17. court — of law
  18. clip — to cut
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bore — gave birth

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