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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: rush · pitcher · drill · content · bulb · race · file · craft

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. craft — a skill
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bulb — for light
  6. race — humankind
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. content — happy
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. craft — boats
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. drill — army training
  20. rush — hurry
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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