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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. drill — army training
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. last — final
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cap — a hat
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. last — to go on
  10. race — a contest
  11. cue — a hint
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cue — for pool
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cap — a lid
  18. drill — a practice
  19. game — wild animals
  20. race — humankind
  21. cue — a signal
  22. game — a match
  23. race — the arms race
  24. last — finally

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