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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. lie — to recline
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. shower — to wash
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wound — an injury
  11. shower — rain
  12. wound — an injury
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. prune — the fruit

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