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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bound — certain
  3. firm — a company
  4. bound — obliged
  5. race — humankind
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. sharp — clever
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. race — a contest
  13. present — there
  14. snap — to click
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. present — a gift
  18. row — a line
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. row — to paddle
  21. present — the time now
  22. firm — decided
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bound — tied together

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