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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. scale — in music
  3. march — the month
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. file — a document
  7. snap — to click
  8. bore — to tire
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. file — a line of people
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. file — a tool
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bore — to drill
  19. rule — a law
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rule — government
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. nail — on a finger

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