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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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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: swing · race · date · foot · pitcher · roll · firm · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. firm — steady
  4. race — humankind
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. firm — decided
  9. roll — a list
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. roll — a cake
  12. foot — a measure
  13. firm — a company
  14. race — a contest
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. race — the arms race
  19. swing — in golf
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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