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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bank — of a river
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bank — for money
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bore — to drill
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. clip — a video
  21. bank — for money
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bore — to tire
  24. fan — a supporter

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