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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. rest — what's left
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rest — a break
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. field — farmland
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. field — for sport
  20. race — humankind
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. field — a subject

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