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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: mate · content · race · game · bear · bank · drill · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mate — to breed
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. drill — army training
  5. bank — for money
  6. mate — a friend
  7. drill — a practice
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. bear — the animal
  11. game — a match
  12. fall — to drop
  13. game — wild animals
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mate — a partner
  18. fall — to drop
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. drill — the tool
  24. race — the arms race

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