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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. ground — a position
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bat — the animal
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. game — a match
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wind — moving air
  24. temple — side 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