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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. net — after costs
  4. bore — to drill
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — to bear
  7. clip — for paper
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. clip — to cut
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. squash — to crush
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. clip — a video
  24. rush — to hurry

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