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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. race — a contest
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. object — to protest
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. object — an aim
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. race — humankind
  12. present — the time now
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. race — the arms race
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. object — a thing
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. nail — on a finger

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