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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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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 mare is ________________ in color.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. tube — a container
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. tube — the underground
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chip — to eat
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bore — to tire
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. chip — for betting
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bore — to drill
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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