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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. kick — in football
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chair — a leader
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. clip — a video
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lie — to recline
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. net — in sport
  24. kick — with a leg

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