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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. club — for golf
  6. tube — a container
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. field — for sport
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — to drill
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. field — a subject
  17. game — wild animals
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. club — a group
  20. bound — tied together
  21. race — the arms race
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. club — for dancing
  24. field — farmland

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