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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. season — in sport
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. race — the arms race
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. race — a contest
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hand — help
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. race — humankind
  22. rest — a break
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. pitcher — a jug

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