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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. field — farmland
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mug — a face
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mug — a cup
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bore — to drill
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bore — to tire
  24. chair — a leader

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