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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. season — of the year
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. club — a group
  9. capital — a city
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. club — for dancing
  13. file — a line of people
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bore — to tire
  18. shower — to wash
  19. file — a tool
  20. bore — to drill
  21. tear — from crying
  22. shower — rain
  23. season — in sport
  24. club — for golf

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