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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 120 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: nail · bore · clip · saw · content · hide · drill · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bore — to tire
  3. clip — for paper
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. drill — army training
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. saw — the tool
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. drill — a practice
  15. content — happy
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. content — the amount
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bore — to drill
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. drill — the tool
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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