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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  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. rest — a break
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spell — letters
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bore — to drill
  16. file — a tool
  17. degree — temperature
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rush — hurry
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. degree — from a university
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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