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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. clip — a video
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. craft — a skill
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bank — of a river
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. pitch — completely
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. clip — to cut
  16. race — the arms race
  17. clip — for paper
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. craft — boats
  22. race — humankind
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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