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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. row — to paddle
  3. last — final
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. file — a line of people
  8. staff — employees
  9. bore — to tire
  10. last — to go on
  11. staff — employees
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. saw — the tool
  15. file — a tool
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bulb — for light
  19. last — finally
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fine — all right
  23. bore — to drill
  24. fine — high quality

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