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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bore — to drill
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bore — to tire
  9. chip — to eat
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. tube — the underground
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. tube — a container
  16. stand — to bear
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. bat — for baseball

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