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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. race — a contest
  3. fall — to drop
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. row — a line
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. cold — not warm
  11. fall — to drop
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fall — the season
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. race — humankind
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. mouse — the animal

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