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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: bat · rush · row · race · firm · lie · stock · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. firm — decided
  4. rush — hurry
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bat — the animal
  7. row — a line
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. row — to paddle
  13. race — a contest
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stock — shares
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. lie — to recline
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. firm — a company
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. race — humankind
  22. firm — steady
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. nail — for a hammer

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