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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 120 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. deal — to handle
  4. march — the month
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bore — to tire
  8. march — music
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. plane — a tool
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. march — the month
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chair — a leader
  15. file — a document
  16. squash — the sport
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bore — to drill
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. squash — to crush

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