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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. present — the time now
  3. mate — a friend
  4. present — there
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. present — a gift
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. race — humankind
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mate — to breed
  21. race — a contest
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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