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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. staff — employees
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. race — humankind
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. content — the amount
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rush — hurry
  13. race — the arms race
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. staff — employees
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. race — a contest
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. content — happy

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