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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rest — a break
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. pit — a hole
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. stand — to bear
  20. tube — a container
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cell — in biology

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