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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. band — a ring
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. race — a contest
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spell — magic
  9. bore — to drill
  10. capital — a city
  11. band — a music group
  12. capital — money
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. race — the arms race
  15. ball — a dance
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. race — humankind
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fall — the season
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. spell — letters
  23. ball — a great time
  24. fall — to drop

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