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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. drill — the tool
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bore — to tire
  5. file — a line of people
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. sharp — clever
  9. drill — army training
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pit — in a race
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stock — goods
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stock — shares
  19. file — a tool
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bore — to drill
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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