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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. face — part of the head
  4. race — the arms race
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rest — what's left
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bore — to tire
  13. race — a contest
  14. mug — a face
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. face — to confront
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. race — humankind
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bore — to drill
  24. face — to point toward

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