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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. stock — shares
  3. cap — of ice
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. race — a contest
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. tube — the underground
  12. race — humankind
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. race — the arms race
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. court — for sport
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bore — to drill
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. chip — for betting
  22. tube — a container
  23. stock — goods
  24. chip — in a computer

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