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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. race — humankind
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. pop — soda
  6. roll — a list
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bore — to tire
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mug — a cup
  15. roll — a cake
  16. sharp — clever
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pop — music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pop — to visit
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bore — to drill
  23. sharp — exactly
  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