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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. tube — a container
  4. field — a subject
  5. race — humankind
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fall — the season
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tube — the underground
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. race — a contest
  22. cell — in biology
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. mate — to breed

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