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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: bank · race · deal · game · wound · last · march · firm

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. march — the month
  3. firm — steady
  4. march — the month
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. bank — for money
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wound — an injury
  12. game — a match
  13. race — humankind
  14. firm — a company
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bank — for money
  17. march — music
  18. last — to go on
  19. bank — of a river
  20. firm — decided
  21. race — the arms race
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wound — an injury

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