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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. spell — letters
  3. spring — of water
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spring — a coil
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. spring — the season
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bore — to tire
  15. spell — a short time
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bore — to drill
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. race — humankind
  23. spell — magic
  24. temple — a place of worship

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