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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. row — a line
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wound — an injury
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. race — humankind
  16. degree — an amount
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. saw — the tool
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. race — a contest
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. dip — to sink
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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