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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 116 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. rush — hurry
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. root — of a word
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. root — the cause
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a ring
  18. staff — employees
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. root — of a plant
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. file — a document

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