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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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pit — in a race
  4. season — in sport
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. season — of the year
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. present — a gift
  12. tube — a container
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bore — to tire
  15. pit — a hole
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. fork — in a road
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bore — to drill
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. present — the time now

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