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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. net — for catching
  5. bore — to tire
  6. net — in sport
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. suit — in cards
  10. bat — the animal
  11. suit — clothes
  12. band — a ring
  13. bore — to drill
  14. fork — in a road
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. net — after costs
  19. dip — to sink
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. band — a music group
  24. fork — to eat with

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