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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bulb — for light
  3. file — a document
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bass — low music
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. row — a line
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bass — the fish
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. spell — letters
  21. row — to paddle
  22. file — a tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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