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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. tube — a container
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bore — to drill
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. scale — in music
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tube — the underground
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bat — the animal
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. tear — to rip

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