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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bore — to tire
  6. race — humankind
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. last — to go on
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. kick — in football
  14. last — final
  15. mine — for digging
  16. dip — to sink
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bore — to drill
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. last — finally
  22. race — a contest
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. tear — from crying

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