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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. root — of a word
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. present — the time now
  6. file — a line of people
  7. present — a gift
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. file — a tool
  12. content — happy
  13. root — the cause
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. file — a document
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. vault — a safe
  18. content — the amount
  19. race — humankind
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mine — for digging
  22. present — there
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bore — to tire

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