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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bore — to drill
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. file — a tool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. file — a document
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. nail — for a hammer

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