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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bore — to drill
  6. file — a document
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. kick — in football
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bore — to tire
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. file — a tool
  23. mark — a trace
  24. kick — with a leg

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