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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — a company
  3. game — wild animals
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. ground — a position
  6. capital — a city
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. race — humankind
  10. ground — crushed
  11. row — to paddle
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. ground — the earth
  14. firm — decided
  15. row — a line
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. capital — money
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. race — a contest
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. race — the arms race
  24. game — a match

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