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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. file — a document
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. squash — to crush
  9. file — a tool
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. file — a line of people
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. lean — thin
  16. kid — to tease
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mine — for digging
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. kid — child

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