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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wind — moving air
  3. firm — a company
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wind — moving air
  7. content — happy
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — a contest
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. shower — rain
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. shower — to wash
  17. saw — the tool
  18. firm — steady
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. content — the amount
  23. saw — the tool
  24. race — the arms race

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