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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. spring — of water
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. sharp — clever
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bore — to tire
  7. ball — a great time
  8. spring — a coil
  9. net — for catching
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spring — the season
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. net — in sport
  15. fall — the season
  16. dip — to sink
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ball — a dance
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. net — after costs
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bore — to drill

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