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

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — decided
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. race — the arms race
  5. spell — magic
  6. scale — size or range
  7. cold — not warm
  8. race — a contest
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cap — a hat
  14. plane — a tool
  15. spell — a short time
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. cold — an illness
  18. scale — in music
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. race — humankind
  21. spell — letters
  22. stand — to bear
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. firm — steady

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