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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: nail · spring · bore · deal · march · race · last · pit

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. race — humankind
  5. bore — to drill
  6. pit — a hole
  7. march — the month
  8. race — the arms race
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. last — finally
  11. march — the month
  12. bore — to tire
  13. spring — a coil
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. last — to go on
  17. march — music
  18. race — a contest
  19. pit — in a race
  20. deal — to handle
  21. spring — of water
  22. last — final
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bore — gave birth

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