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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 124 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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Word bank
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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: cabinet · bore · pitcher · tube · racket · rash · rule · swing

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rash — a series
  6. bore — to drill
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rule — government
  16. tube — a container
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rash — hasty
  22. tube — the underground
  23. rule — a law
  24. racket — for tennis

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