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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. squash — to crush
  7. file — a tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. squash — the sport
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. kid — child
  24. mine — for digging

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