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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. firm — decided
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. race — a contest
  6. firm — a company
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. firm — steady
  10. race — humankind
  11. clip — a video
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. present — a gift
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rash — a series
  23. clip — to cut
  24. race — the arms race

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