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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. hand — help
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. race — a contest
  12. hand — in cards
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. drill — army training
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. race — humankind
  17. wax — to grow
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. drill — the tool
  22. game — a match
  23. bore — to drill
  24. rush — hurry

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