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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · firm · march · race · chair · squash

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. race — the arms race
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. present — a gift
  7. march — music
  8. squash — to crush
  9. march — the month
  10. race — a contest
  11. firm — decided
  12. present — the time now
  13. chair — a leader
  14. squash — the sport
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. present — there
  17. march — the month
  18. race — humankind

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