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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 116 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chip — to eat
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bore — to drill
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fork — in a road
  10. band — a music group
  11. bat — the animal
  12. file — a document
  13. band — a ring
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bear — the animal
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. chip — for betting

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