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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. tube — the underground
  4. file — a document
  5. fine — all right
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fine — high quality
  10. tube — a container
  11. file — a line of people
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. race — a contest
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. branch — a division
  19. content — happy
  20. bore — to tire
  21. file — a tool
  22. pitch — completely
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. race — humankind

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