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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bore — to drill
  6. cell — a phone
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. squash — to crush
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tube — a container
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cell — in biology
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fork — in a road
  24. squash — the sport

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