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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. file — a document
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. mine — for digging
  6. file — a tool
  7. bass — low music
  8. ground — the earth
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bore — to drill
  14. file — a line of people
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ground — a position
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. date — on the calendar

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