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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. fall — to drop
  4. swing — to play on
  5. file — a document
  6. fall — the season
  7. bore — to tire
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. row — to paddle
  15. deal — to handle
  16. row — a line
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. swing — music
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. swing — in golf
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bore — to drill
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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