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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. fork — in a road
  3. can — a tin
  4. bore — to drill
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. hand — help
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. can — to be able to
  16. hand — in cards
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. tube — a container
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. can — a tin
  23. march — the month
  24. degree — from a university

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