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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 116 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. court — of law
  4. bulb — for light
  5. clip — a video
  6. last — to go on
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. court — for sport
  9. bore — to drill
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. last — finally
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. last — final
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. court — of a king
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bark — of a tree

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