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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. key — for a lock
  3. shower — to wash
  4. kid — child
  5. drill — army training
  6. stock — goods
  7. shower — rain
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. kid — to tease
  10. drill — a practice
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pass — a permit
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. drill — the tool
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. race — a contest
  22. key — in music
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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