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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 116 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to sink
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. root — the cause
  7. band — a music group
  8. bore — to tire
  9. tear — to rip
  10. court — of law
  11. pit — a hole
  12. court — of a king
  13. race — a contest
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. root — of a plant
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. tear — from crying
  22. band — a ring
  23. root — of a word
  24. bore — to drill

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