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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 116 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. race — a contest
  4. mug — a cup
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. chair — a leader
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. degree — temperature
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mug — a face
  12. degree — from a university
  13. squash — the sport
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bore — to tire
  18. mug — to rob
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bore — to drill
  22. race — humankind
  23. bulb — for light
  24. race — the arms race

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