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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. lean — thin
  3. net — in sport
  4. file — a tool
  5. firm — steady
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. firm — decided
  9. pop — soda
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. net — for catching
  13. firm — a company
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pop — music
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wake — a trail
  23. lean — to bend
  24. net — after costs

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