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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. lean — thin
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cap — of ice
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pound — a weight
  8. lean — to bend
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cap — a hat
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pit — in a race
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. tube — a container
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rest — a break
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. clip — a video
  23. rest — what's left
  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