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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. current — of water
  4. tube — the underground
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bore — to drill
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. tube — a container
  9. current — happening now
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. current — electric
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. kick — in football
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. racket — for tennis

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