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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. net — in sport
  3. current — electric
  4. clip — a video
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pass — a permit
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. current — of water
  15. clip — for paper
  16. net — after costs
  17. current — happening now
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. net — for catching

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