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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bank — for money
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bore — to drill
  7. mate — a partner
  8. race — humankind
  9. club — a group
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. pop — soda
  15. race — a contest
  16. bank — for money
  17. pop — music
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bank — of a river
  20. club — for golf
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pop — to visit
  24. craft — boats

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