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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. race — humankind
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — steady
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pass — a permit
  7. cap — a lid
  8. row — a line
  9. race — a contest
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. row — to paddle
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. firm — decided
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cap — a hat
  24. squash — the vegetable

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