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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. tube — the underground
  3. present — a gift
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bore — to drill
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. file — a document
  13. rash — hasty
  14. present — there
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. file — a tool
  17. foot — a measure
  18. tube — a container
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. present — the time now
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. scale — in music
  23. bore — to tire
  24. scale — size or range

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