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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: rock · dip · track · shower · bore · safe · race · season

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. season — of the year
  3. track — a song
  4. rock — a stone
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bore — to tire
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. dip — to sink
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. track — a path
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. race — humankind
  17. shower — rain
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bore — to drill
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rock — music
  22. race — a contest
  23. season — in sport
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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