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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. face — part of the head
  4. net — in sport
  5. firm — steady
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fall — to drop
  8. firm — decided
  9. net — for catching
  10. wound — an injury
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. fine — all right
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. face — to confront
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. firm — a company
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fine — high quality
  23. net — after costs
  24. face — to point toward

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