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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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mark — a grade
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mark — a trace
  6. race — humankind
  7. bore — to drill
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rash — a series
  10. spring — a coil
  11. race — a contest
  12. last — finally
  13. rash — hasty
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. shower — to wash
  17. spring — the season
  18. shower — rain
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. drill — army training
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. spring — of water
  24. bore — to tire

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