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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bass — the fish
  5. race — the arms race
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bass — low music
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. lie — to recline
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. race — humankind
  15. current — of water
  16. race — a contest
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. current — happening now
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. current — electric

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