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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. snap — to click
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. clip — to cut
  17. band — a music group
  18. pit — a hole
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. band — a ring
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bore — to tire

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