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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bore — to tire
  3. sharp — clever
  4. fall — the season
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pit — in a race
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fork — in a road
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tube — a container
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. game — a match
  23. pit — a hole
  24. tube — in a tire

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