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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. firm — decided
  4. face — part of the head
  5. board — to get on
  6. firm — steady
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. race — a contest
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. board — a committee
  11. face — to confront
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cold — an illness
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. squash — the sport
  18. race — humankind
  19. firm — a company
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cold — not warm

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