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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. clip — for paper
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. clip — to cut
  6. squash — to crush
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. last — finally
  10. clip — a video
  11. race — humankind
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rock — music
  14. last — to go on
  15. race — the arms race
  16. drill — a practice
  17. last — final
  18. drill — army training
  19. squash — the sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rock — a stone

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