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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. rule — a law
  3. bore — to drill
  4. can — a tin
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rule — government
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — in sport
  13. prune — to trim
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. file — a tool
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bore — to tire
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. file — a document
  21. prune — to trim
  22. row — to paddle
  23. file — a line of people
  24. row — a line

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