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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. lean — thin
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mate — to breed
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. lean — to bend
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. race — the arms race
  18. cold — not warm
  19. race — humankind
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mate — a friend
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cold — an illness
  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