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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. file — a tool
  5. rush — hurry
  6. file — a document
  7. rest — what's left
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. kid — to tease
  12. file — a line of people
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. wind — moving air
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. kid — child
  24. rush — to hurry

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