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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. degree — an amount
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. race — a contest
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. snap — to click
  7. chest — a box
  8. bore — to drill
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bore — to tire
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. degree — from a university
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. race — humankind
  18. degree — temperature
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. dip — to sink
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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