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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. mark — a trace
  3. last — finally
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bore — to tire
  6. last — to go on
  7. capital — a city
  8. net — for catching
  9. bore — to drill
  10. race — humankind
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. last — final
  13. bass — low music
  14. net — after costs
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mark — a grade
  17. capital — money
  18. bass — the fish
  19. race — a contest
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. race — the arms race
  22. net — in sport
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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