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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bore — to drill
  4. squash — the sport
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. squash — to crush
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bat — the animal
  14. ball — a great time
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. race — humankind
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bulb — for light
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. race — a contest
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tear — from crying
  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