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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. firm — a company
  3. cap — of ice
  4. last — final
  5. row — to paddle
  6. last — to go on
  7. cap — a lid
  8. last — finally
  9. mark — a trace
  10. firm — steady
  11. race — a contest
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. race — humankind
  14. present — there
  15. band — a ring
  16. present — the time now
  17. band — a music group
  18. mark — a grade
  19. present — a gift
  20. cap — a hat
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. firm — decided
  23. race — the arms race
  24. row — a line

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