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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.

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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: game · sharp · foot · mark · race · nail · wind · bear

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. sharp — clever
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mark — a grade
  8. race — humankind
  9. wind — moving air
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wind — moving air
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. game — a match
  19. race — a contest
  20. bear — the animal
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bear — the animal

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