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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. chair — a leader
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bore — to tire
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. swing — music
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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