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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 116 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. race — a contest
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. bat — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. firm — a company
  13. race — humankind
  14. fork — in a road
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. firm — steady
  21. current — electric
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bat — for baseball

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