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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. can — a tin
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. suit — to fit
  7. scale — size or range
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. suit — clothes
  11. can — a tin
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cold — not warm
  15. race — humankind
  16. suit — in cards
  17. scale — in music
  18. race — a contest
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rest — what's left
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. can — to be able to
  23. rest — what's left
  24. nail — for a hammer

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