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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. row — to paddle
  3. spring — of water
  4. rash — a series
  5. race — a contest
  6. row — a line
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. race — humankind
  9. squash — to crush
  10. key — the most important part
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. firm — a company
  14. key — for a lock
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. race — the arms race
  17. key — in music
  18. spring — the season
  19. firm — decided
  20. spring — a coil
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. firm — steady
  24. rash — hasty

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