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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. hand — help
  3. bore — to drill
  4. last — finally
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. board — to get on
  8. rush — hurry
  9. board — a committee
  10. race — a contest
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. last — to go on
  18. bore — to tire
  19. last — final
  20. content — happy
  21. hand — in cards
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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