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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. firm — steady
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pit — a hole
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wind — moving air
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. firm — a company
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. staff — employees
  14. press — to push
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. last — final
  19. press — a publisher
  20. kid — child
  21. wind — moving air
  22. press — newspapers
  23. firm — decided
  24. pit — in a race

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