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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. tear — to rip
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. race — the arms race
  6. spell — magic
  7. lie — to recline
  8. degree — from a university
  9. race — a contest
  10. drill — the tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spell — a short time
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. chip — to eat
  18. spell — letters
  19. race — humankind
  20. tear — from crying
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. drill — army training
  24. chip — in a computer

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