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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cell — a phone
  5. race — humankind
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. race — a contest
  8. cell — in biology
  9. row — a line
  10. mug — a face
  11. present — a gift
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. row — to paddle
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. present — the time now
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. hand — help
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. present — there
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mug — a cup

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