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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mine — for digging
  4. race — humankind
  5. board — a committee
  6. firm — decided
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. board — to get on
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. season — of the year
  12. race — the arms race
  13. hand — in cards
  14. season — in sport
  15. race — a contest
  16. march — the month
  17. firm — a company
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hand — help
  20. march — music
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. march — the month
  24. board — a flat piece

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