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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 124 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rest — what's left
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wake — a trail
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. tube — a container
  12. rest — what's left
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rest — a break
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pit — in a race
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bass — low music
  24. pit — a hole

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