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

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. band — a ring
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — to protest
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. file — a document
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bore — to tire
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. object — a thing
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. chip — for betting
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. band — a music group
  18. bore — to drill

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