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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pop — to visit
  3. craft — boats
  4. object — to protest
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. race — the arms race
  8. can — a tin
  9. race — humankind
  10. object — an aim
  11. pop — soda
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pop — music
  15. can — a tin
  16. bat — the animal
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. craft — a skill
  22. can — to be able to
  23. race — a contest
  24. fork — in a road

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