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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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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: drill · fall · ground · cabinet · race · cold · bulb · nail

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. race — humankind
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bulb — for light
  7. race — a contest
  8. bulb — for light
  9. ground — crushed
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cold — not warm
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — a position
  16. cold — an illness
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. drill — the tool
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cabinet — ministers

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