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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 116 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: pit · tube · snap · present · cabinet · cell · bore · hide

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. tube — a container
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cell — a phone
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. present — there
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. snap — to click
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — the time now
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pit — a hole
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cell — in biology
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cabinet — ministers

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