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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bore — to drill
  4. kid — to tease
  5. chest — of your body
  6. kid — child
  7. net — in sport
  8. race — a contest
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chest — of your body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. net — after costs
  22. race — humankind
  23. chest — a box
  24. net — for catching

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