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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bore — to tire
  3. suit — in cards
  4. ground — a position
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. capital — money
  7. bore — to drill
  8. ground — crushed
  9. race — the arms race
  10. degree — temperature
  11. capital — a city
  12. ground — the earth
  13. degree — an amount
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. suit — clothes
  16. spell — letters
  17. race — a contest
  18. spell — a short time
  19. suit — to fit
  20. degree — from a university
  21. spell — magic
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. race — humankind

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