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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mine — for digging
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. file — a document
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bore — to drill
  14. file — a tool
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bowl — a dish

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