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

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. court — of law
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bank — for money
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bore — to drill
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bank — of a river
  12. race — humankind
  13. spring — of water
  14. band — a music group
  15. bore — to tire
  16. court — of a king
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. spring — the season
  20. bank — for money
  21. spring — a coil
  22. race — a contest
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rush — hurry

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