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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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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: foot · bore · bat · land · rash · current · tube · court

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. court — for sport
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bore — to drill
  5. land — a country
  6. current — of water
  7. court — of a king
  8. current — electric
  9. rash — a series
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bat — the animal
  17. land — ground
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. land — to come down
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. current — happening now
  22. court — of law
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bore — to tire

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