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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: nail · arm · mug · vault · race · rest · net · field

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rest — a break
  4. vault — a safe
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. field — for sport
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. rest — what's left
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. rest — what's left
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. mug — a face
  15. race — a contest
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — to rob
  21. race — the arms race
  22. net — for catching
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. race — humankind

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