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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — completely
  6. file — a line of people
  7. last — finally
  8. bore — to tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bank — for money
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bore — to drill
  20. last — final
  21. file — a tool
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. file — a document
  24. last — to go on

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