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

Word bank: bat · squash · clip · pit · mark · drill · bore · lash

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mark — a grade
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. drill — the tool
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pit — in a race
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bore — to tire
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. drill — army training
  24. mark — a trace

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