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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. season — of the year
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. file — a tool
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bore — to tire
  9. squash — the sport
  10. season — in sport
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. plane — a tool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bound — tied together
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wake — a trail
  20. file — a line of people
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bound — certain
  24. file — a document

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