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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. race — the arms race
  9. track — a path
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. perch — the fish
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. kid — to tease
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. kid — child
  18. race — humankind
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. track — to keep track
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. track — a song
  24. race — a contest

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