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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. firm — steady
  2. pit — a hole
  3. season — of the year
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. season — in sport
  6. chest — a box
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. firm — a company
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. chest — of your body
  16. race — a contest
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pit — in a race
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. race — humankind
  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