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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · pitch · tear · temple · present · bore · race · bark

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. race — humankind
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pitch — completely
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. present — there
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. race — a contest
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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