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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. race — humankind
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rest — what's left
  5. drill — a practice
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. bore — to tire
  10. club — for golf
  11. rest — a break
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. current — happening now
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bore — to drill
  17. rest — what's left
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. current — of water
  21. club — for dancing
  22. current — electric
  23. cold — an illness
  24. club — a group

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