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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. race — a contest
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mark — a trace
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pass — a permit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. shower — rain
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bore — to drill
  20. date — the fruit
  21. shower — to wash
  22. clip — a video
  23. race — humankind
  24. clip — to cut

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