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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. race — humankind
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — a contest
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. present — a gift
  17. field — for sport
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. present — the time now
  20. staff — employees
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. drill — the tool
  23. present — there
  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