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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: wind · clip · nail · race · deal · mug · ground · suit

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. deal — to handle
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wind — moving air
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mug — to rob
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. mug — a face
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. clip — for paper
  15. suit — to fit
  16. race — a contest
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. suit — clothes
  19. race — humankind
  20. wind — moving air
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. race — the arms race
  24. ground — a position

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