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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  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. plane — in geometry
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mug — a face
  4. clip — a video
  5. ball — a dance
  6. current — of water
  7. tear — from crying
  8. current — electric
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bore — to tire
  12. current — happening now
  13. mug — to rob
  14. file — a document
  15. bore — to drill
  16. file — a tool
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. clip — for paper
  19. tear — to rip
  20. ball — a great time
  21. clip — to cut
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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