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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rest — what's left
  3. race — a contest
  4. cold — not warm
  5. firm — a company
  6. foot — a measure
  7. stem — to come from
  8. firm — decided
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. race — humankind
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rest — what's left
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rest — a break
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. race — the arms race
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. squash — the sport
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. squash — to crush
  24. firm — steady

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