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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fall — to drop
  4. race — the arms race
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fall — the season
  7. rule — a law
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. game — a match
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ground — crushed
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. race — a contest
  17. stand — to bear
  18. race — humankind
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. ground — a position

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