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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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Word bank
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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cell — a phone
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. can — a tin
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. race — the arms race
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fork — a garden tool

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