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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 116 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 · snap · race · saw · tube · fine · fork · lie

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. saw — the tool
  3. tube — a container
  4. saw — the tool
  5. tube — the underground
  6. hand — in cards
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. race — humankind
  9. hand — help
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. snap — to click
  20. fork — in a road
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fork — to eat with

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