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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bound — obliged
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bore — to drill
  12. race — humankind
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cell — a phone
  16. roll — a list
  17. cell — in biology
  18. clip — to cut
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. clip — a video
  22. bore — to tire
  23. race — a contest
  24. ball — a great time

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