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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bass — low music
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. snap — to click
  18. mark — a trace
  19. race — humankind
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. saw — the tool

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