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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. spell — letters
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bass — low music
  6. bore — to tire
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fine — all right
  9. spell — magic
  10. file — a tool
  11. bass — the fish
  12. hand — help
  13. staff — employees
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fine — high quality
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. staff — employees
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. file — a document
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. spell — a short time
  23. staff — a stick
  24. hand — in cards

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