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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. march — the month
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rash — hasty
  8. race — the arms race
  9. firm — decided
  10. race — a contest
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. cell — a phone
  13. march — the month
  14. race — humankind
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. march — music
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rock — music
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. rash — a series
  23. firm — steady
  24. cell — in a prison

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