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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. shower — rain
  3. bore — to tire
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. shower — to wash
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. race — a contest
  10. march — the month
  11. bulb — for light
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. bulb — for light
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bore — to drill
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. foot — a measure
  22. land — ground
  23. hand — part of the body
  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