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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. march — the month
  6. drill — the tool
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. shower — rain
  11. band — a music group
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. march — music
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. firm — steady
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. firm — a company
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. shower — to wash
  21. march — the month
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. drill — army training
  24. band — a ring

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