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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. race — the arms race
  4. rash — a series
  5. staff — employees
  6. race — a contest
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. squash — to crush
  10. staff — employees
  11. net — after costs
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. race — humankind
  14. staff — a stick
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. net — for catching
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. squash — the sport
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. net — in sport
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fork — a garden tool

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