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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. drill — a practice
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pop — to visit
  6. drill — army training
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. drill — the tool
  9. dip — to sink
  10. foot — a measure
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pop — soda
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pop — music
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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