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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 120 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bore — to drill
  8. lean — thin
  9. bore — to tire
  10. file — a line of people
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. rest — a break
  16. kid — to tease
  17. chip — for betting
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mark — a grade
  20. file — a document
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. file — a tool
  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