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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. rest — what's left
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rest — a break
  5. spring — the season
  6. race — a contest
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. race — the arms race
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. spring — of water
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. band — a music group
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. drill — army training
  15. race — humankind
  16. date — the fruit
  17. band — a ring
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. spring — a coil
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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