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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. clip — a video
  4. pound — a weight
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bore — to drill
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bore — to tire
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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