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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. race — humankind
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bat — the animal
  14. race — a contest
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bore — to tire
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. race — the arms race
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rash — a series
  24. squash — the sport

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