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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. object — to protest
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fall — the season
  11. object — an aim
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. fall — to drop
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. object — a thing
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mark — a trace
  24. race — the arms race

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