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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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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 · squash · firm · file · fine · wound · foot

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wound — an injury
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fine — all right
  8. wound — an injury
  9. game — wild animals
  10. file — a tool
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. foot — a measure
  13. file — a document
  14. fine — high quality
  15. race — humankind
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. race — a contest
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — decided
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. file — a line of people
  23. game — a match
  24. foot — part of the body

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