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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: ball · race · bore · rock · mate · mine · staff · pass

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mine — for digging
  3. staff — a stick
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bore — to drill
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. race — the arms race
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mate — a friend
  10. staff — employees
  11. race — humankind
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. race — a contest
  16. ball — a dance
  17. staff — employees
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rock — music
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mine — an explosive

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