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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tear — from crying
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. suit — clothes
  7. kick — in football
  8. key — the most important part
  9. ball — a dance
  10. suit — in cards
  11. clip — a video
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bore — to drill
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. clip — for paper
  21. key — in music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bore — to tire
  24. key — for a lock

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