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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bound — tied together
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pop — to visit
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pop — soda
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bound — certain
  11. squash — to crush
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. race — a contest
  20. squash — the sport
  21. race — humankind
  22. bore — to drill
  23. pop — music
  24. coach — a trainer

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