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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 116 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stock — shares
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wax — to grow
  18. degree — temperature
  19. key — in music
  20. pit — in a race
  21. file — a tool
  22. degree — an amount
  23. stock — goods
  24. key — for a lock

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