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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bulb — for light
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mine — for digging
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bulb — for light
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. band — a ring
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. clip — a video

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