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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. race — a contest
  7. present — a gift
  8. race — humankind
  9. last — final
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bear — the animal
  12. can — a tin
  13. last — finally
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. last — to go on
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bore — to tire
  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