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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. object — to protest
  4. capital — money
  5. row — a line
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. race — the arms race
  8. object — an aim
  9. capital — a city
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. race — a contest
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rash — a series
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. row — to paddle
  17. object — a thing
  18. race — humankind
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. safe — out of danger

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