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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. board — to get on
  3. bore — to drill
  4. board — a committee
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bass — the fish
  10. clip — a video
  11. row — a line
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. clip — to cut
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mine — for digging
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bass — low music
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. row — to paddle
  24. foot — the bottom

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