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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 124 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. season — in sport
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. season — of the year
  7. rush — hurry
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. saw — the tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mine — for digging
  17. land — to come down
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. race — a contest
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mine — belonging to me

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