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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bank — for money
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bank — for money
  19. last — final
  20. game — a match
  21. last — finally
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tube — a container

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