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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. race — humankind
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. court — for sport
  7. spring — a coil
  8. court — of a king
  9. spring — of water
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wind — moving air
  14. race — a contest
  15. court — of law
  16. cue — a signal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cue — a hint
  22. race — the arms race
  23. spring — the season
  24. fork — in a road

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