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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 · ball · last · band · rush · spring · drill · suit

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. drill — a practice
  3. last — final
  4. spring — a coil
  5. suit — to fit
  6. rush — hurry
  7. suit — in cards
  8. band — a ring
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. suit — clothes
  12. last — to go on
  13. band — a music group
  14. spring — of water
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. drill — army training
  19. race — humankind
  20. last — finally
  21. ball — a great time
  22. spring — the season
  23. drill — the tool
  24. ball — a dance

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