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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bore — to drill
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. squash — to crush
  7. last — to go on
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rock — a stone
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. last — final
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. last — finally
  19. spell — letters
  20. stock — goods
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. stock — shares
  24. squash — the vegetable

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