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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. file — a line of people
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rest — a break
  8. band — a ring
  9. file — a document
  10. bore — to tire
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rest — what's left
  15. band — a music group
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chair — a leader
  18. file — a tool
  19. bore — to drill
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pitcher — a jug

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