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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bore — to drill
  4. clip — to cut
  5. staff — a stick
  6. clip — a video
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. staff — employees
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. rash — a series
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. shower — rain
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. staff — employees
  22. bore — to tire
  23. vault — a safe
  24. clip — for paper

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