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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. capital — money
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bore — to drill
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. file — a document
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. race — a contest
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. race — humankind
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rush — hurry
  21. file — a tool
  22. bore — to tire
  23. file — a line of people
  24. capital — a city

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