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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. file — a document
  9. rash — hasty
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pound — a weight
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. safe — out of danger

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