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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. staff — employees
  3. band — a music group
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mug — to rob
  6. staff — employees
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. file — a document
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. ball — a great time
  11. hand — in cards
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bore — to tire
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bore — to drill
  17. band — a ring
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mug — a cup
  20. file — a tool
  21. hand — help
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. file — a line of people

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