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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — low music
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rash — a series
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pit — a hole
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bass — the fish
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. game — a match
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bore — to drill
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tube — a container
  24. bore — gave birth

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