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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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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: hand · land · race · saw · can · clip · pass · squash

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. squash — the sport
  3. can — to be able to
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. clip — for paper
  6. can — a tin
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pass — a permit
  9. hand — help
  10. land — to come down
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. clip — a video
  13. race — humankind
  14. can — a tin
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. land — a country
  20. clip — to cut
  21. land — ground
  22. race — a contest
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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