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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. last — to go on
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pitch — completely
  11. content — the amount
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. content — happy
  17. last — finally
  18. suit — clothes
  19. race — humankind
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. last — final
  23. race — a contest
  24. pitch — a sports field

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