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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bore — to drill
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rest — what's left
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rest — a break
  8. bass — the fish
  9. file — a tool
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. kid — to tease
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. field — farmland
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fork — in a road
  17. kid — child
  18. bass — low music
  19. field — for sport
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. field — a subject
  23. file — a document
  24. safe — a strongbox

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