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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: race · shower · wind · bore · bay · date · pit · scale

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. race — a contest
  3. bore — to drill
  4. race — the arms race
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bore — to tire
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. shower — to wash
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pit — a hole
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wind — moving air
  20. scale — in music
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. pit — in a race
  23. scale — size or range
  24. race — humankind

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