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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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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: bore · pound · roll · dip · bat · last · capital · tube

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. roll — a list
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pound — a weight
  7. dip — to sink
  8. capital — money
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. roll — a cake
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. bat — the animal
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. tube — the underground
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. capital — a city
  22. last — final
  23. bore — to drill
  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