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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. rush — hurry
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. scale — in music
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. chest — a box
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. firm — steady
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. firm — a company
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. current — happening now
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. toast — bread
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. scale — size or range
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rush — a thrill

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