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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. file — a document
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bore — to tire
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. file — a tool
  7. cell — in biology
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rash — a series
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bore — to drill

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