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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. present — there
  7. firm — steady
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. firm — a company
  12. stem — to come from
  13. deal — to handle
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — the time now
  18. race — a contest
  19. wind — moving air
  20. firm — decided
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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