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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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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 · swing · arm · bore · ruler · content · dip · can

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. can — to be able to
  3. swing — music
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. can — a tin
  7. clip — to cut
  8. content — happy
  9. swing — in golf
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. clip — a video
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. content — the amount
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. dip — to sink
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. clip — for paper
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. can — a tin
  21. bore — to drill
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bore — to tire
  24. swing — to play on

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