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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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cold — an illness
  5. net — after costs
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bore — to tire
  8. race — the arms race
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cold — not warm
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rock — music
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. firm — steady
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. race — a contest
  21. firm — decided
  22. date — the fruit
  23. race — humankind
  24. rock — a stone

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