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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rash — a series
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. file — a document
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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