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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bore — to tire
  11. current — happening now
  12. band — a music group
  13. clip — a video
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. game — a match
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bound — certain
  22. clip — for paper
  23. current — electric
  24. current — of water

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