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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. field — a subject
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. tube — a container
  10. tear — to rip
  11. kid — child
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mark — a trace
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. mark — a grade
  17. plane — a tool
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tear — from crying
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bore — to drill
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bore — to tire
  24. plane — an aircraft

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