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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 124 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. clip — a video
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pit — in a race
  13. rock — music
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pit — a hole
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fall — to drop
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fall — the season
  24. cap — a lid

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