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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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. race — humankind
  3. bore — to tire
  4. rash — hasty
  5. drill — the tool
  6. object — a thing
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bore — to drill
  9. object — an aim
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. rash — a series
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. race — a contest
  14. object — to protest
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. stand — to bear
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. drill — a practice
  21. deal — to handle
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. drill — army training

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