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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. cap — a hat
  3. deal — to handle
  4. firm — a company
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. cap — of ice
  8. firm — steady
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. cap — a lid
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. tear — from crying
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. plane — a tool

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