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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — to trim
  8. file — a line of people
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rush — hurry
  12. file — a tool
  13. squash — the sport
  14. file — a document
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bore — to tire
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wound — an injury
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bore — to drill
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. prune — the fruit

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