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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. race — humankind
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bear — the animal
  6. race — a contest
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rash — a series
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mark — a grade
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bear — the animal
  24. race — the arms race

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