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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. race — a contest
  7. staff — employees
  8. race — humankind
  9. key — in music
  10. race — the arms race
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wake — a trail
  13. staff — employees
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. key — for a lock
  18. stem — to come from
  19. key — the most important part
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bore — to drill
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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