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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. spell — magic
  4. kid — to tease
  5. file — a document
  6. kid — child
  7. court — for sport
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bore — to drill
  13. spell — a short time
  14. court — of a king
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spell — letters
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. court — of law
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. file — a tool

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