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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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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: ruler · last · bore · chip · racket · tube · date · land

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chip — for betting
  7. tube — the underground
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. last — finally
  18. bore — to drill
  19. last — to go on
  20. chip — to eat
  21. date — the fruit
  22. last — final
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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