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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bulb — for light
  3. last — to go on
  4. pit — a hole
  5. saw — the tool
  6. last — finally
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. race — humankind
  11. sharp — clever
  12. race — a contest
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. last — final
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. sharp — exactly

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