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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. firm — decided
  5. bore — to drill
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — a company
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rule — government
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. toast — bread
  18. rule — a law
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bore — to tire

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