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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. face — to point toward
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fine — all right
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. clip — a video
  9. drill — a practice
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bore — to tire
  12. face — part of the head
  13. clip — for paper
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. kick — in football
  21. face — to confront
  22. perch — the fish
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bore — to drill

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