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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 120 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: game · race · staff · cell · firm · lean

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. firm — decided
  4. cell — a phone
  5. lean — to bend
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — humankind
  8. game — wild animals
  9. firm — a company
  10. cell — in biology
  11. staff — employees
  12. lean — thin
  13. staff — a stick
  14. game — a match
  15. staff — employees
  16. race — the arms race
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cell — in a prison

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