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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 124 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. last — finally
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — a cake
  13. game — a match
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. last — final
  16. file — a tool
  17. last — to go on
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stem — to come from

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