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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 116 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. race — a contest
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. drill — a practice
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. drill — army training
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. capital — a city
  15. land — to come down
  16. race — the arms race
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bore — to tire
  19. sharp — clever
  20. land — a country
  21. race — humankind
  22. bulb — for light
  23. capital — money
  24. land — ground

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