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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. club — for dancing
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. club — for golf
  8. net — for catching
  9. race — humankind
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. club — a group
  13. mug — a face
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bat — the animal
  19. race — the arms race
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. net — after costs
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. net — in sport

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