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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bore — to tire
  4. season — in sport
  5. bore — to drill
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. chest — of your body
  9. current — of water
  10. race — humankind
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pass — a permit
  14. race — a contest
  15. chest — a box
  16. season — of the year
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chest — of your body
  21. current — electric
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wind — moving air
  24. current — happening now

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