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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 · shower · bore · present · clip · race · chair · track

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. race — humankind
  3. rush — hurry
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. shower — to wash
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. race — the arms race
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. track — a song
  14. shower — rain
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bore — to drill
  22. chair — a leader
  23. race — a contest
  24. present — a gift

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