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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. spring — a coil
  3. drill — a practice
  4. swing — to play on
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fall — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. bore — to drill
  9. spring — the season
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. rush — hurry
  13. swing — music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. swing — in golf
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. drill — army training
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bore — to tire
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chip — for betting
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bore — gave birth

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