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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. hand — help
  3. sharp — clever
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bass — the fish
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. content — the amount
  18. bass — low music
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rock — music

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