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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bore — to tire
  4. race — a contest
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. board — a committee
  9. race — the arms race
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. race — humankind
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — a law
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rule — government
  22. rest — what's left
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. racket — a loud noise

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