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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.

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: nail · trunk · game · ball · race · stand · snap · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. snap — to click
  3. ball — a great time
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. game — wild animals
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. ball — a dance
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. race — a contest
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stand — to bear
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. game — a match
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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