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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. can — to be able to
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rush — hurry
  8. file — a tool
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — the animal
  12. can — a tin
  13. bore — to drill
  14. file — a document
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. stem — to come from
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rush — a thrill

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