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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bass — the fish
  6. hand — in cards
  7. race — humankind
  8. bass — low music
  9. hand — help
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. race — a contest
  12. firm — steady
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. firm — decided
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. firm — a company
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pit — a hole
  22. row — to paddle
  23. squash — the sport
  24. race — the arms race

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