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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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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: spring · straw · bay · mate · race · tube · pit · shower

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pit — in a race
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mate — a partner
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. spring — the season
  13. shower — to wash
  14. spring — of water
  15. tube — a container
  16. mate — to breed
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. spring — a coil
  19. race — humankind
  20. mate — a friend
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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