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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mug — a face
  3. file — a line of people
  4. race — a contest
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. net — for catching
  7. race — humankind
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. race — the arms race
  20. file — a tool
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. file — a document

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