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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: rest · nail · ground · race · land · pitcher · lean · board

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. board — a committee
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. lean — thin
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rest — what's left
  8. land — a country
  9. rest — a break
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. ground — a position
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. board — to get on
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rest — what's left
  24. race — a contest

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