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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 124 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. present — there
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. present — a gift
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bore — to tire
  9. chip — to eat
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bore — to drill
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. file — a document
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. present — the time now
  21. bass — the fish
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bass — low music

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