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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bore — to drill
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. present — there
  8. clip — a video
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wound — an injury
  15. present — a gift
  16. foot — a measure
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. wound — an injury
  19. present — the time now
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. vault — a safe
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wave — of the sea

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