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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bore — to tire
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. net — in sport
  7. chair — a leader
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tube — the underground
  13. net — after costs
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. root — the cause
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. root — of a plant
  21. file — a tool
  22. net — for catching
  23. root — of a word
  24. bowl — to roll

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