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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bound — certain
  5. fall — the season
  6. march — the month
  7. mine — for digging
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fall — to drop
  11. march — music
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bore — to drill
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. march — the month
  18. bound — tied together
  19. fall — to drop
  20. race — humankind
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bore — to tire

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