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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bore — to drill
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pitch — completely
  11. race — the arms race
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bound — tied together
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. race — a contest
  17. file — a line of people
  18. race — humankind
  19. file — a document
  20. bound — certain
  21. file — a tool
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pitch — a sports field

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