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

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cold — not warm
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. race — a contest
  6. rest — what's left
  7. can — a tin
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. kid — child
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rest — a break
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. drill — army training
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. rush — hurry
  24. can — a tin

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