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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bore — to drill
  3. tube — a container
  4. mate — a friend
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. mate — a partner
  12. band — a music group
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bore — to tire
  15. band — a ring
  16. stand — to bear
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. mate — to breed
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bass — low music
  24. chair — to sit on

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