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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fine — all right
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. present — a gift
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. face — to confront
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. scale — in music
  12. plane — a tool
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. present — the time now
  16. tube — the underground
  17. present — there
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. tube — a container
  22. face — to point toward
  23. fine — high quality
  24. face — part of the head

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