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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. race — a contest
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. game — a match
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wax — to grow
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rush — hurry
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bore — to drill
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wake — a trail
  24. sharp — with an edge

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