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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: race · fine · bore · scale · jam · rush · leaves · clip

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fine — high quality
  4. scale — size or range
  5. race — humankind
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. clip — to cut
  9. fine — all right
  10. clip — a video
  11. race — a contest
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. clip — for paper
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. scale — in music
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. race — the arms race
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. leaves — lets stay

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