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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bore — to drill
  3. rock — music
  4. plane — a tool
  5. rash — a series
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. clip — a video
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. stand — on your feet

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