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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. file — a tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. last — finally
  13. board — a committee
  14. file — a line of people
  15. last — to go on
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. key — for a lock
  18. file — a document
  19. last — final
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pop — music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. board — to get on

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