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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bore — to drill
  4. race — the arms race
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. chip — for betting
  7. plane — a tool
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. present — the time now
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. swing — in golf
  14. race — a contest
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. present — there
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. present — a gift
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. chip — to eat
  21. race — humankind
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. plane — an aircraft

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