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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. firm — steady
  3. mate — a partner
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. toast — bread
  7. race — the arms race
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. tube — the underground
  10. firm — a company
  11. race — a contest
  12. mate — a friend
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. present — a gift
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. wound — an injury
  18. firm — decided
  19. race — humankind
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. temple — a place of worship

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