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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. file — a document
  4. bulb — for light
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bore — to drill
  14. game — a match
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. file — a line of people
  21. cold — not warm
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. snap — to click

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