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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. face — to confront
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. race — the arms race
  8. face — to point toward
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bore — to tire
  16. race — humankind
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. race — a contest
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wake — a trail
  24. tube — a container

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