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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. lean — to bend
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lean — thin
  6. file — a document
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. kid — child
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bore — to tire
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bore — to drill
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. stand — to bear
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pass — to succeed

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