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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pound — a weight
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fall — the season
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rest — a break
  13. wake — a trail
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lie — to recline
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pound — to hit hard

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