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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. craft — boats
  3. cap — a hat
  4. race — humankind
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kid — child
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. rush — hurry
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. kid — to tease
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. race — a contest
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bore — to drill
  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