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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. cold — an illness
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. tube — a container
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mug — a cup
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. capital — a city
  16. mug — a face
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. tube — the underground
  22. capital — money
  23. stand — to bear
  24. cold — not warm

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