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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. file — a document
  5. bore — to tire
  6. march — music
  7. object — to protest
  8. march — the month
  9. capital — a city
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. object — an aim
  14. shower — rain
  15. object — a thing
  16. saw — the tool
  17. march — the month
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. file — a tool
  21. bore — to drill
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. bound — obliged

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