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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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Word bank
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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: spring · wind · kick · mate · race · bowl

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. race — humankind
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. race — the arms race
  11. spring — of water
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mate — to breed
  16. race — a contest
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spring — the season

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