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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: clip · bat · mate · drill · cap · pitcher · track · bore

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mate — to breed
  3. track — to keep track
  4. clip — a video
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. track — a song
  8. bore — to tire
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — to drill
  13. clip — to cut
  14. track — a path
  15. drill — army training
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mate — a friend

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