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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wind — moving air
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. rest — a break
  7. race — a contest
  8. rest — what's left
  9. clip — to cut
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. clip — a video
  17. rock — a stone
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rock — music
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wind — moving air

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