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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 124 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. bore — to drill
  4. track — a song
  5. board — to get on
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bore — to tire
  14. race — humankind
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cap — a hat
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rash — a series
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. board — a committee
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. clip — a video
  24. track — a path

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