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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cue — a hint
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. club — a group
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. last — final
  10. race — a contest
  11. pitch — completely
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. club — for golf
  14. race — humankind
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. race — the arms race
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cue — for pool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. last — finally

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