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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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. lean — to rest against
  4. clip — to cut
  5. lean — to bend
  6. face — to point toward
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. clip — for paper
  9. face — part of the head
  10. lean — thin
  11. race — the arms race
  12. board — to get on
  13. face — to confront
  14. game — wild animals
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wax — to grow
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. race — humankind
  19. board — a committee
  20. game — a match
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. clip — a video
  24. game — a kind of play

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