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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: game · cabinet · toast · lie · file · bore · pound · wound

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bore — to drill
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. game — wild animals
  9. file — a document
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wound — an injury
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. lie — to recline
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. toast — bread
  24. game — a match

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