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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. can — a tin
  3. file — a line of people
  4. can — to be able to
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pop — soda
  10. fall — to drop
  11. file — a document
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pop — music
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — to drill
  19. can — a tin
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pop — to visit

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