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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. race — a contest
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pound — a weight
  5. roll — a cake
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. race — the arms race
  14. band — a ring
  15. lie — to recline
  16. roll — a list
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. race — humankind
  20. can — a tin
  21. bore — to drill
  22. band — a music group
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bore — to tire

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