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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. clip — a video
  3. cap — a lid
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. file — a line of people
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. clip — to cut
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. lean — thin
  15. bore — to drill
  16. cap — of ice
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cap — a hat
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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