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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · kid · pop · bore · track · clip · board · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. track — a song
  3. clip — for paper
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pop — to visit
  6. kid — to tease
  7. board — to get on
  8. object — to protest
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. clip — a video
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. object — an aim
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. track — to keep track
  19. kid — child
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. track — a path
  22. board — a committee
  23. bore — to drill
  24. object — a thing

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