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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. tube — a container
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. file — a document
  10. perch — the fish
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. club — a group
  13. file — a line of people
  14. club — for dancing
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stock — shares
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stock — goods
  21. file — a tool
  22. club — for golf
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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