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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. ground — crushed
  3. firm — steady
  4. clip — to cut
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. firm — a company
  7. fine — high quality
  8. clip — a video
  9. ground — the earth
  10. key — the most important part
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cell — in biology
  13. kid — to tease
  14. clip — for paper
  15. ground — a position
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. kid — child
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fine — all right
  20. key — for a lock
  21. firm — decided
  22. cell — a phone
  23. race — humankind
  24. key — in music

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