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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lie · nail · chair · land · swing · hand · fine · race

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. race — the arms race
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. land — to come down
  6. fine — all right
  7. race — a contest
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. swing — in golf
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fine — high quality
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. swing — to play on
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. chair — a leader
  20. lie — to recline
  21. swing — music
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. race — humankind

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