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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bound — certain
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. file — a tool
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cue — a hint
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cue — for pool
  18. key — for a lock
  19. file — a line of people
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bound — obliged
  24. file — a document

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