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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. foot — a measure
  3. cold — an illness
  4. roll — a list
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. race — a contest
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. firm — a company
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. drill — the tool
  14. firm — steady
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. drill — army training
  18. roll — a cake
  19. drill — a practice
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. firm — decided
  23. cold — not warm
  24. nail — for a hammer

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