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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rest — what's left
  3. race — a contest
  4. root — the cause
  5. staff — employees
  6. clip — a video
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bore — to tire
  10. root — of a plant
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bore — to drill
  13. staff — employees
  14. race — humankind
  15. row — a line
  16. root — of a word
  17. rest — a break
  18. staff — a stick
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rest — what's left
  21. drill — the tool
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. drill — army training

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