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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · chip · bore · tube · pound · race · bat · wave

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. chip — to eat
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. key — in music
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chip — for betting
  14. key — the most important part
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. race — the arms race
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pound — a weight
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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