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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. tube — a container
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. mark — a grade
  6. club — for golf
  7. mine — for digging
  8. club — for dancing
  9. game — a match
  10. present — the time now
  11. bore — to tire
  12. present — a gift
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. club — a group
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bore — to drill
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mine — an explosive

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