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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. tube — the underground
  8. shower — to wash
  9. race — the arms race
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. hand — in cards
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. shower — rain
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tube — a container
  23. saw — the tool
  24. hand — help

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