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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. kid — child
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bore — to tire
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. foot — a measure
  7. tube — the underground
  8. swing — music
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. kid — to tease
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. swing — in golf
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. tube — a container
  21. deal — to handle
  22. race — a contest
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. race — humankind

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