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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. present — a gift
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. season — in sport
  5. mug — to rob
  6. race — humankind
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. fall — to drop
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fall — the season
  19. mug — a cup
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. race — a contest
  22. mug — a face
  23. season — of the year
  24. race — the arms race

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