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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. tube — a container
  3. bore — to drill
  4. file — a document
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bore — to tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cell — a phone
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. file — a line of people
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bat — the animal
  19. court — for sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cell — in biology
  22. court — of law
  23. file — a tool
  24. court — of a king

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