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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. row — to paddle
  3. game — wild animals
  4. court — of law
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. firm — decided
  7. wind — moving air
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. race — the arms race
  10. game — a match
  11. race — humankind
  12. firm — steady
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. row — a line
  16. court — of a king
  17. rest — what's left
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rest — what's left
  21. firm — a company
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. court — for sport
  24. rest — a break

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