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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. file — a document
  3. bat — the animal
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. season — in sport
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bound — certain
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. file — a tool
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. last — finally
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. file — a line of people
  22. last — final
  23. season — of the year
  24. bore — gave birth

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