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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. court — for sport
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. file — a line of people
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. court — of a king
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. court — of law
  12. bore — to drill
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. clip — a video
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bore — to tire
  17. clip — for paper
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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