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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 120 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. race — a contest
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pop — to visit
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. cold — an illness
  12. pop — music
  13. race — the arms race
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. race — humankind
  17. pop — soda
  18. season — of the year
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — high quality
  22. season — in sport
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. cold — not warm

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