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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: race · shower · mouse · cue · rock · file · bore · field

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cue — for pool
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rock — a stone
  6. field — for sport
  7. rock — music
  8. shower — rain
  9. file — a document
  10. field — a subject
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. field — farmland
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. file — a tool
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cue — a signal
  20. race — a contest
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. shower — to wash

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