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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bore — to drill
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pound — a weight
  5. kid — child
  6. object — a thing
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. race — the arms race
  12. squash — the sport
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. race — humankind
  16. object — an aim
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bore — to tire
  20. object — to protest
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pound — for dogs

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