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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bass — low music
  3. cap — of ice
  4. sharp — clever
  5. firm — steady
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. race — a contest
  8. ground — a position
  9. prune — to trim
  10. race — the arms race
  11. firm — decided
  12. pop — soda
  13. ground — crushed
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cap — a hat
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bass — the fish
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. ground — the earth
  24. race — humankind

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