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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 120 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. race — the arms race
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. clip — for paper
  7. race — humankind
  8. lie — to recline
  9. present — a gift
  10. pop — music
  11. firm — steady
  12. race — a contest
  13. capital — a city
  14. clip — to cut
  15. present — the time now
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — money
  18. firm — a company
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. present — there
  23. rash — a series
  24. clip — a video

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