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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. net — in sport
  8. race — the arms race
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. net — after costs
  11. row — a line
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. staff — employees
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. staff — a stick
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bound — tied together
  23. staff — employees
  24. mine — belonging to me

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