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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. suit — clothes
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — to go on
  5. clip — a video
  6. bore — to drill
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bore — to tire
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bound — obliged
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wind — moving air
  14. last — finally
  15. suit — in cards
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bound — tied together
  19. race — a contest
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bound — certain
  22. suit — to fit
  23. race — humankind
  24. last — final

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