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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. sharp — clever
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. foot — a measure
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. drill — a practice
  11. can — a tin
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. snap — to click
  14. race — the arms race
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. can — a tin
  17. drill — the tool
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rash — a series
  20. can — to be able to
  21. drill — army training
  22. wind — moving air
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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