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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. kid — child
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. net — after costs
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. face — to confront
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pitch — completely
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. race — a contest
  20. kid — to tease
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. race — the arms race
  23. net — for catching
  24. race — humankind

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