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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bore — to drill
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bore — to tire
  9. tear — from crying
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. file — a line of people
  13. tear — to rip
  14. file — a document
  15. staff — employees
  16. file — a tool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. staff — employees
  20. game — a match
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. arm — part of the body

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