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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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Word bank
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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: pitcher · last · file · foot · fan · bore · race · rock

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bore — to tire
  4. race — the arms race
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. bore — to drill
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — a contest
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rock — a stone
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. fan — a supporter

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