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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rock — a stone
  3. race — a contest
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bore — to tire
  13. cold — not warm
  14. spell — letters
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rock — music
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cold — an illness
  21. spell — magic
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. spell — a short time

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