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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. race — a contest
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. race — humankind
  5. roll — a cake
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rock — music
  9. race — the arms race
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. row — a line
  12. wound — an injury
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. roll — a list
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wound — an injury
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rock — a stone
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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