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

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rash — a series
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spell — magic
  9. content — the amount
  10. file — a document
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — happy
  15. spell — letters
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people

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