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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. chest — of your body
  4. firm — a company
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. net — for catching
  7. firm — steady
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — of water
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. net — in sport
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. chest — a box
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. spring — the season
  20. net — after costs
  21. spell — a short time
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. sharp — clever

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