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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pass — a permit
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. sharp — clever
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stem — to come from
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fall — the season
  14. firm — steady
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. firm — a company
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lie — to recline
  24. pass — to spend time

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