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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: spell · hand · bowl · jam · face · bore · race · rush

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. spell — a short time
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bore — to drill
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. bore — to tire
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rush — hurry
  17. hand — help
  18. race — a contest
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. spell — letters
  21. face — to confront
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. spell — magic

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