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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stand — to bear
  3. land — ground
  4. race — humankind
  5. present — the time now
  6. hand — in cards
  7. present — there
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bulb — for light
  12. hand — help
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. land — to come down
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. land — a country
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. race — a contest
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bulb — of a plant

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