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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. file — a document
  3. mine — for digging
  4. object — an aim
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bore — to tire
  8. object — a thing
  9. bulb — for light
  10. object — to protest
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. file — a tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bore — to drill
  23. kid — child
  24. pass — a permit

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