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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. race — a contest
  2. bore — to drill
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rock — music
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. rush — hurry
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bass — low music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. prune — the fruit
  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