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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 · spring · calf · mark · bound · pit · hand · can

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. race — a contest
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. spring — the season
  6. mark — a grade
  7. hand — help
  8. race — humankind
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bound — tied together
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pit — a hole
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. can — to be able to
  17. race — the arms race
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. can — a tin
  20. spring — a coil
  21. hand — in cards
  22. can — a tin
  23. spring — of water
  24. calf — of the leg

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