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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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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. band — a music group
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pop — soda
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rush — hurry
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. band — a ring
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pop — music

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