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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. firm — steady
  4. lie — to recline
  5. kid — to tease
  6. firm — decided
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. race — humankind
  11. spring — the season
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bank — for money
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. firm — a company
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. saw — the tool
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. kid — child
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spring — of water
  24. saw — the tool

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