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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bat — the animal
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. race — a contest
  8. cell — in biology
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wind — moving air
  11. race — humankind
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mate — to breed
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mate — a partner
  19. kick — in football
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. mate — a friend
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. nail — on a finger

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