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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. snap — to click
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stand — to bear
  6. file — a tool
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. cap — a hat
  10. field — for sport
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. cap — a lid
  14. field — farmland
  15. bore — to tire
  16. file — a document
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. saw — the tool
  19. field — a subject
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cap — of ice

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