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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. firm — steady
  5. object — to protest
  6. firm — a company
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ground — a position
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. firm — decided
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — for digging
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cold — not warm
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cold — an illness
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. object — an aim
  23. ground — crushed
  24. object — a thing

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