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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. last — finally
  5. race — the arms race
  6. rest — what's left
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rest — a break
  9. race — humankind
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. last — final
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. last — to go on
  21. race — a contest
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. trunk — of a tree

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