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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. cue — for pool
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bore — to drill
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cue — a signal
  9. clip — to cut
  10. field — farmland
  11. fine — all right
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. field — a subject
  19. cue — a hint
  20. clip — a video
  21. deal — to handle
  22. field — for sport
  23. fine — high quality
  24. file — a tool

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