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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. spell — letters
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bore — to tire
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. snap — to click
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rest — a break
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. spell — magic
  18. board — a committee
  19. rest — what's left
  20. file — a tool
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bark — to shout
  23. board — to get on
  24. spell — a short time

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