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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. bore — to drill
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. march — music
  8. race — a contest
  9. cap — of ice
  10. snap — to click
  11. march — the month
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. race — the arms race
  16. stock — shares
  17. bore — to tire
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. march — the month
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. stock — goods
  23. cap — a hat
  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