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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. race — the arms race
  6. current — happening now
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — temperature
  9. race — humankind
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. present — the time now
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bat — the animal
  14. present — there
  15. degree — from a university
  16. present — a gift
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. race — a contest
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. degree — an amount

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