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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. file — a tool
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fine — all right
  9. current — happening now
  10. game — a match
  11. file — a document
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. current — of water
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mug — a face
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. file — a line of people
  24. current — electric

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