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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: bowl · wound · file · bore · pit · pass · face · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bore — to tire
  3. file — a document
  4. wound — an injury
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. face — part of the head
  18. snap — to click
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. face — to confront

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