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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 need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. file — a tool
  3. mine — for digging
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bore — to tire
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bore — to drill
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. season — of the year
  21. file — a document
  22. season — in sport
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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