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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. race — humankind
  4. scale — in music
  5. chip — to eat
  6. firm — a company
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. scale — size or range
  10. race — a contest
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. shower — rain
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. race — the arms race
  19. shower — to wash
  20. firm — steady
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. chip — for betting
  23. staff — employees
  24. firm — decided

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