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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. firm — a company
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. race — humankind
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rash — a series
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — steady
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. race — a contest
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fork — in a road
  24. plane — an aircraft

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