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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: chair · kick · tube · rock · bore · rash · file · safe

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rash — hasty
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. file — a tool
  5. rock — music
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. tube — the underground
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bore — to drill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. tube — a container
  19. file — a document
  20. rash — a series
  21. file — a line of people
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. rock — a stone

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