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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bore — to tire
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rash — hasty
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rash — a series
  20. fall — to drop
  21. date — the fruit
  22. staff — a stick
  23. tube — the underground
  24. calf — a young animal

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