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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: nail · chest · cap · race · firm · wound · rush · squash

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. squash — the sport
  6. firm — a company
  7. race — humankind
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cap — of ice
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. firm — steady
  14. wound — an injury
  15. race — the arms race
  16. chest — of your body
  17. squash — to crush
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cap — a hat
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. race — a contest
  23. chest — a box
  24. firm — decided

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