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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: ball · drill · racket · staff · race · pit · lean · shower

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pit — a hole
  5. race — a contest
  6. drill — army training
  7. shower — rain
  8. lean — thin
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. lean — to bend
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pit — in a race
  16. ball — a great time
  17. race — humankind
  18. drill — a practice
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. drill — the tool
  21. staff — employees
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. staff — employees

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