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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rest — what's left
  3. clip — for paper
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. present — a gift
  6. mug — a cup
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. key — in music
  9. clip — a video
  10. key — for a lock
  11. present — there
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. mug — to rob
  15. present — the time now
  16. key — the most important part
  17. mug — a face
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bore — to drill
  23. drill — a practice
  24. arm — part of the body

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