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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. can — a tin
  6. cold — not warm
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tube — a container
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pit — a hole
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pit — in a race
  21. game — a match
  22. can — a tin
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bore — to drill

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