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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mine — for digging
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. row — a line
  6. race — a contest
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. firm — steady
  12. race — humankind
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. firm — decided
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fork — in a road
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. rush — hurry
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bore — to tire
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bore — to drill
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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