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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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468
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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — a grade
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. kick — in football
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. file — a document
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. file — a tool
  17. tube — a container
  18. bore — to drill
  19. file — a line of people
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. sharp — clever
  23. tube — the underground
  24. racket — a loud noise

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