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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. club — for golf
  4. pass — a permit
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. club — a group
  13. field — a subject
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. race — a contest
  17. bore — to tire
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. field — for sport
  21. file — a tool
  22. rock — music
  23. race — humankind
  24. field — farmland

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