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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pit — a hole
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. race — humankind
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. content — happy
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bore — to drill
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pit — in a race
  23. content — the amount
  24. pound — for dogs

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