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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 124 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bore — to drill
  3. file — a document
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. vault — a safe
  8. season — of the year
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bear — the animal
  14. game — a match
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. season — in sport
  20. bore — to tire
  21. file — a tool
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. file — a line of people

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