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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. clip — for paper
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bore — to tire
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. row — to paddle
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. clip — to cut
  12. row — a line
  13. clip — a video
  14. face — part of the head
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. face — to confront
  19. bore — to drill
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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