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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. file — a tool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. snap — to click
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mate — a partner
  12. shower — to wash
  13. chip — to eat
  14. mate — a friend
  15. file — a document
  16. bore — to tire
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mate — to breed
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. shower — rain
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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