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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. race — humankind
  3. band — a ring
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. face — to point toward
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. race — the arms race
  12. face — to confront
  13. scale — in music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. scale — size or range
  16. race — a contest
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. face — part of the head
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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