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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. tube — a container
  5. bore — to drill
  6. object — to protest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. object — an aim
  12. tube — the underground
  13. season — of the year
  14. can — to be able to
  15. race — humankind
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. object — a thing
  18. club — a group
  19. band — a music group
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. club — for golf
  23. season — in sport
  24. bore — to tire

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