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

Word bank: mine · mug · pass · bore · mark · cell · tear · race

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mug — a face
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. race — a contest
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pass — a permit
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. race — humankind
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mark — a trace

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