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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. race — humankind
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — completely
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cue — a hint
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. date — the fruit
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. race — the arms race
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. race — a contest

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