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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. race — humankind
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wind — moving air
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fine — high quality
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. net — in sport
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. net — for catching
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. net — after costs
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. roll — a cake

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