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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. staff — employees
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. court — of law
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. file — a document
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. court — of a king
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wind — moving air
  20. court — for sport
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pitch — a sports field

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