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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pass — a permit
  3. spell — a short time
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bass — low music
  9. net — for catching
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bass — the fish
  12. spell — magic
  13. net — in sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bore — to drill
  17. net — after costs
  18. spell — letters
  19. squash — the sport
  20. file — a document
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. squash — the vegetable

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