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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bore — to tire
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. prune — to trim
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. file — a tool
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. staff — employees
  14. mark — a grade
  15. face — to confront
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bore — to drill
  18. staff — employees
  19. present — the time now
  20. face — to point toward
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. file — a document

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