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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cold — an illness
  4. root — of a plant
  5. tube — a container
  6. race — humankind
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hand — help
  9. root — of a word
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bore — to tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. race — the arms race
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. root — the cause
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. race — a contest

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