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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. race — humankind
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fall — to drop
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bore — to drill
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. band — a music group
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. race — a contest
  22. pass — a permit
  23. deal — to handle
  24. fall — the season

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