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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pop — to visit
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bore — to tire
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pop — soda
  11. fork — in a road
  12. last — to go on
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. rash — a series
  16. last — finally
  17. tube — the underground
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pop — music
  21. last — final
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. tube — a container

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