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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. branch — a division
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. shower — rain
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. firm — decided
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. firm — steady
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. shower — to wash
  22. kid — child
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ruler — for measuring

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