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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. race — the arms race
  3. rock — a stone
  4. race — humankind
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. field — a subject
  9. race — a contest
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rock — music
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. field — farmland
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. field — for sport
  24. bat — in an idiom

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