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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. firm — a company
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. current — electric
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. race — humankind
  8. wind — moving air
  9. spell — letters
  10. current — of water
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. squash — the sport
  17. firm — decided
  18. squash — to crush
  19. firm — steady
  20. mark — a grade
  21. spell — a short time
  22. current — happening now
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spell — magic

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