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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. race — humankind
  3. clip — to cut
  4. key — for a lock
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rash — a series
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rash — hasty
  12. key — in music
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. race — a contest
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. squash — the sport
  19. clip — a video
  20. key — the most important part
  21. row — to paddle
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. clip — for paper

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