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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. pop — soda
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. spell — magic
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pop — to visit
  10. file — a line of people
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cold — not warm
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bore — to tire
  16. file — a document
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. cold — an illness
  19. net — for catching
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. file — a tool
  22. net — after costs
  23. spell — letters
  24. net — in sport

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