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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. can — to be able to
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. game — wild animals
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. field — for sport
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. field — a subject
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. can — a tin
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. field — farmland
  21. game — a match
  22. race — a contest
  23. can — a tin
  24. branch — of a tree

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