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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. staff — employees
  3. swing — music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. firm — decided
  10. staff — a stick
  11. saw — the tool
  12. firm — steady
  13. staff — employees
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. cold — not warm
  17. swing — to play on
  18. firm — a company
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. race — humankind
  24. swing — in golf

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