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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. face — part of the head
  5. march — the month
  6. face — to confront
  7. march — the month
  8. race — the arms race
  9. net — after costs
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. race — humankind
  12. net — for catching
  13. bound — tied together
  14. firm — decided
  15. net — in sport
  16. firm — steady
  17. race — a contest
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. object — a thing
  22. face — to point toward
  23. firm — a company
  24. march — music

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