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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. race — humankind
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. mate — to breed
  5. ground — crushed
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mate — a partner
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. shower — rain
  14. cue — a hint
  15. ground — the earth
  16. season — in sport
  17. mate — a friend
  18. season — of the year
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ground — a position

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