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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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. race — humankind
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bore — to drill
  16. race — a contest
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. race — the arms race
  24. net — in sport

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