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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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. race — a contest
  3. firm — decided
  4. race — the arms race
  5. file — a tool
  6. firm — a company
  7. cue — a hint
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bore — to tire
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. degree — temperature
  12. firm — steady
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pitch — completely
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cue — a signal
  17. race — humankind
  18. degree — from a university
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bore — to drill
  24. hand — help

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