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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. clip — a video
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bore — to drill
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. swing — in golf
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. swing — to play on
  14. clip — for paper
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bore — to tire
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. swing — music
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. clip — to cut

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