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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. saw — the tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — humankind
  11. staff — a stick
  12. stem — to come from
  13. mine — for digging
  14. staff — employees
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. race — the arms race
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. race — a contest
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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