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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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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: snap · mouse · pass · last · race · fall · nail · bat

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. snap — to click
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. fall — the season
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. race — humankind
  24. last — final

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