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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 120 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. spell — magic
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. staff — employees
  6. content — happy
  7. mine — for digging
  8. ball — a dance
  9. race — a contest
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. race — the arms race
  12. stock — goods
  13. staff — employees
  14. bore — to tire
  15. stock — shares
  16. spell — a short time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bore — to drill
  20. staff — a stick
  21. spell — letters
  22. ball — a great time
  23. content — the amount
  24. stock — a soup base

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