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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bore — to tire
  3. file — a document
  4. pitch — completely
  5. track — a song
  6. court — for sport
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bore — to drill
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. saw — the tool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. court — of law
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. court — of a king
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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