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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bore — to tire
  4. march — the month
  5. race — humankind
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cap — a hat
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bass — low music
  10. march — the month
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pit — a hole
  16. march — music
  17. dip — to sink
  18. race — a contest
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pit — in a race
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bore — gave birth

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