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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. race — the arms race
  4. hand — in cards
  5. race — a contest
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. race — humankind
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — the sport
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bore — to drill
  17. hand — help
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. capital — money
  20. bore — to tire
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. capital — a city

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