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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. bear — the animal
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. object — to protest
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. present — there
  11. clip — to cut
  12. drill — army training
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pitch — completely
  16. object — an aim
  17. clip — a video
  18. band — a music group
  19. bear — the animal
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. object — a thing
  23. drill — the tool
  24. band — a ring

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