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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 120 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: drill · race · can · court · last · bore · sharp · bulb

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bore — to drill
  5. drill — army training
  6. last — final
  7. race — the arms race
  8. last — finally
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. court — of a king
  11. bulb — for light
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. race — humankind
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. drill — the tool
  18. court — of law
  19. bulb — for light
  20. race — a contest
  21. can — a tin
  22. court — for sport
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. last — to go on

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