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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. file — a document
  4. bore — to drill
  5. spring — a coil
  6. face — to point toward
  7. spring — the season
  8. face — to confront
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spring — of water
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. file — a tool
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bore — to tire
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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