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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bore — to drill
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. race — a contest
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. roll — a list
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. tear — to rip
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bore — to tire
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. tear — from crying
  24. roll — on a roll

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