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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fine — high quality
  4. last — final
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. roll — a list
  7. last — to go on
  8. race — a contest
  9. fine — all right
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bore — to drill
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. roll — a cake
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. last — finally
  20. field — a subject
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. race — the arms race
  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