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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. race — humankind
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fine — all right
  14. fall — the season
  15. bore — to drill
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fall — to drop
  18. race — the arms race
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rock — music
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fine — high quality
  24. race — a contest

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