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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. race — a contest
  3. rash — a series
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. land — ground
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. land — to come down
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. chip — for betting
  19. saw — the tool
  20. race — humankind
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. race — the arms race
  24. land — a country

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