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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. firm — decided
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. firm — a company
  6. present — a gift
  7. branch — a division
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. kid — child
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. race — a contest
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. shower — rain
  18. race — the arms race
  19. firm — steady
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. kid — to tease
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  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