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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: race · wind · cabinet · face · nail · pitcher · saw · drill

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. race — a contest
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. drill — army training
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. drill — a practice
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. race — humankind
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. face — to point toward
  21. drill — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wind — moving air

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