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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bore — to drill
  5. root — of a plant
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. chest — a box
  13. race — the arms race
  14. root — of a word
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. root — the cause
  18. pop — soda
  19. race — humankind
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. race — a contest
  24. pop — to visit

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