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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. race — a contest
  4. saw — the tool
  5. row — to paddle
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. row — a line
  8. race — humankind
  9. object — a thing
  10. swing — music
  11. cap — a hat
  12. object — to protest
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. swing — in golf
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wound — an injury
  17. race — the arms race
  18. object — an aim
  19. game — a match
  20. cap — of ice
  21. swing — to play on
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cap — a lid

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