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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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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. land — to come down
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. land — a country
  10. pass — a permit
  11. race — humankind
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. object — a thing
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. object — to protest
  20. wound — an injury
  21. land — ground
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. object — an aim

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