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

Word bank: wind · wave · bore · pit · racket · race

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. 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. racket — a loud noise
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pit — a hole
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. race — humankind
  13. pit — in a race
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. 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