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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mate — a partner
  5. tube — the underground
  6. game — wild animals
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mate — to breed
  9. tube — a container
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. staff — employees
  13. game — a match
  14. shower — to wash
  15. current — happening now
  16. shower — rain
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bore — to tire
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fall — to drop
  22. current — of water
  23. staff — employees
  24. current — electric

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