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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 120 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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. spring — of water
  3. can — a tin
  4. spring — a coil
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. can — a tin
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — a weight
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. firm — steady
  14. chair — a leader
  15. season — of the year
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. spring — the season
  21. can — to be able to
  22. firm — a company
  23. season — in sport
  24. chair — a professorship

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