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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pop — music
  7. mate — a friend
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mate — to breed
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pop — soda
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bore — to drill
  14. file — a tool
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bat — the animal
  18. face — to confront
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wind — moving air
  21. file — a document
  22. mate — a partner
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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