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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mark — a trace
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bore — to drill
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ground — crushed
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pound — a weight
  14. staff — employees
  15. spring — the season
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. staff — employees
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. ground — the earth
  22. spring — of water
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. race — humankind

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