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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. file — a tool
  7. bulb — for light
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bark — to shout
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. game — a match
  16. file — a document
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bore — to drill
  24. game — a kind of play

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