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

Word bank: fine · firm · row · rule · bowl · cell · dip · race

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. fine — high quality
  6. race — humankind
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. row — a line
  10. firm — decided
  11. rule — government
  12. row — to paddle
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fine — all right
  15. rule — a law
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. firm — a company
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. firm — steady
  24. cell — in biology

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