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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 116 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. race — a contest
  3. rock — music
  4. race — the arms race
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ball — a dance
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cold — not warm
  13. saw — the tool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cell — in biology
  18. race — humankind
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cell — in a prison

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