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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. file — a document
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. file — a tool
  7. fine — all right
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bore — to drill
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pitch — completely
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fine — high quality
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. file — a line of people
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chip — to eat
  24. saw — the 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