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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. race — the arms race
  3. roll — a cake
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. last — finally
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. last — to go on
  10. spell — letters
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. rule — a law
  13. ball — a dance
  14. last — final
  15. spell — magic
  16. bore — to tire
  17. race — a contest
  18. roll — a list
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. race — humankind
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. rule — government
  24. bore — to drill

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