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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 120 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. file — a line of people
  4. degree — an amount
  5. saw — the tool
  6. file — a document
  7. cue — for pool
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cue — a signal
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cue — a hint
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. file — a tool
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. swing — to play on
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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