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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · rule · bore · tear · hide · snap · file · bat

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. fork — in a road
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bat — the animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. tear — to rip
  13. snap — to click
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rule — a law
  19. file — a line of people
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. rule — government
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. file — a tool
  24. bore — to tire

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