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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. race — a contest
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mine — for digging
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. game — a match
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wax — to grow
  16. lean — thin
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. drill — army training
  20. race — humankind
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. scale — in music
  24. race — the arms race

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