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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. net — in sport
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stem — to come from
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mark — a grade
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bore — to tire
  14. net — for catching
  15. bore — to drill
  16. net — after costs
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. row — a line
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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