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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · wind · tear · race · foot · cue

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cue — for pool
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. cue — a signal
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wind — moving air
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. tear — from crying
  14. race — the arms race
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cue — a hint

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