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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: file · net · pitch · bore · tube · present · race · band

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. present — there
  3. band — a music group
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. net — after costs
  7. race — the arms race
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. present — the time now
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. net — in sport
  13. file — a tool
  14. tube — a container
  15. file — a document
  16. bore — to tire
  17. net — for catching
  18. bore — to drill
  19. race — a contest
  20. band — a ring
  21. pitch — completely
  22. race — humankind
  23. present — a gift
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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