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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. net — after costs
  5. fine — high quality
  6. race — humankind
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. rash — hasty
  9. net — in sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. key — for a lock
  12. race — the arms race
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. net — for catching
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. race — a contest
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. key — in music
  24. rash — a series

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