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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. sharp — clever
  3. race — humankind
  4. shower — to wash
  5. race — a contest
  6. pit — in a race
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pit — a hole
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. shower — rain
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wake — a trail
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — to fit
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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