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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: race · firm · hide · nail · last · kick · board · shower

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. board — to get on
  3. last — final
  4. board — a committee
  5. race — a contest
  6. shower — rain
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. race — humankind
  10. firm — decided
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. last — finally
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. last — to go on
  15. race — the arms race
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. firm — steady
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. firm — a company
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. kick — with a leg

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