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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: saw · mine · cell · nail · race · kid · calf · roll

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mine — for digging
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. kid — child
  9. roll — a list
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cell — a phone
  13. race — humankind
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. race — a contest
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a cake

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