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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. file — a line of people
  4. firm — a company
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. firm — decided
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. firm — steady
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. race — a contest
  17. file — a tool
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. file — a document
  22. wake — a trail
  23. row — to paddle
  24. race — humankind

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