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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. fine — all right
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. scale — in music
  6. bore — to drill
  7. kid — to tease
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bore — to tire
  10. file — a line of people
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rock — music
  13. file — a document
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. kid — child
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. hand — help
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fine — high quality
  24. file — a tool

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