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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. file — a document
  3. club — for dancing
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. file — a tool
  6. season — of the year
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. season — in sport
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. club — a group
  11. file — a line of people
  12. race — humankind
  13. club — for golf
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bound — obliged
  18. race — a contest
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bound — certain
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fork — to eat with

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