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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bore — to tire
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pitch — completely
  8. snap — to click
  9. band — a music group
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. race — humankind
  12. stock — goods
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. sharp — clever
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bore — to drill
  18. band — a ring
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stock — shares
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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