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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. cell — a phone
  4. plane — a tool
  5. last — final
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fall — the season
  8. root — of a word
  9. bore — to drill
  10. root — the cause
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. last — to go on
  13. file — a line of people
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. root — of a plant
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bore — to tire
  20. fall — to drop
  21. file — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. file — a document
  24. last — finally

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