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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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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: patient · bore · lie · pit · mine · clip · squash · suit

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bore — to drill
  5. clip — a video
  6. squash — the sport
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. suit — to fit
  12. pit — a hole
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mine — for digging
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bore — to tire
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pit — in a race
  22. clip — to cut
  23. suit — in cards
  24. patient — a sick person

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