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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. race — the arms race
  3. swing — in golf
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. last — finally
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cap — a lid
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. swing — music
  10. race — a contest
  11. cap — of ice
  12. rush — hurry
  13. last — final
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cap — a hat
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. drill — the tool
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. drill — army training
  22. race — humankind
  23. drill — a practice
  24. last — to go on

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