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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: nail · squash · toast · ruler · race · bark · chest · rock

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. race — the arms race
  3. squash — to crush
  4. chest — of your body
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bark — to shout
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chest — a box
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. nail — for a hammer

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