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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bore — to tire
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. stock — shares
  7. object — to protest
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spell — letters
  11. stock — goods
  12. spell — a short time
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. file — a tool
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cue — for pool
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. sharp — clever
  20. spell — magic
  21. pit — in a race
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. cue — a hint

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