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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. net — in sport
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. net — after costs
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rash — a series
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. clip — for paper
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. net — for catching
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bore — to tire
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. clip — a video
  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