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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. swing — music
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. swing — to play on
  14. net — in sport
  15. swing — in golf
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bore — to tire
  21. file — a tool
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bore — to drill

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