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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 120 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. cue — for pool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cue — a signal
  6. court — for sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. tear — to rip
  9. court — of law
  10. clip — to cut
  11. lean — thin
  12. court — of a king
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. clip — a video
  15. lean — to bend
  16. clip — for paper
  17. march — music
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rest — a break
  20. bore — to drill
  21. march — the month
  22. cue — a hint
  23. rest — what's left
  24. march — the month

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