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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. firm — steady
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. race — a contest
  6. fork — in a road
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. race — humankind
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. press — a publisher
  12. firm — decided
  13. race — the arms race
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. firm — a company
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. hand — help
  21. row — a line
  22. press — to push
  23. squash — the sport
  24. press — newspapers

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