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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. deal — to handle
  8. squash — to crush
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. lean — to bend
  11. kid — to tease
  12. race — a contest
  13. lean — thin
  14. object — an aim
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. object — to protest
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. kid — child
  20. object — a thing
  21. spring — the season
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  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