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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. race — humankind
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ball — a great time
  7. race — a contest
  8. suit — in cards
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. land — ground
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. race — the arms race
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. land — a country
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bore — to drill
  21. suit — clothes
  22. land — to come down
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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