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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 124 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. club — for golf
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. club — a group
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. file — a document
  8. hand — help
  9. bore — to drill
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tube — the underground
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. file — a tool
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bore — to tire
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. tube — a container
  22. club — for dancing
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitcher — a jug

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