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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 120 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 rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. shower — to wash
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pitch — completely
  5. land — to come down
  6. tube — the underground
  7. shower — rain
  8. club — a group
  9. land — a country
  10. bore — to drill
  11. land — ground
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pit — in a race
  14. lie — to recline
  15. tube — a container
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. club — for dancing

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