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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. squash — to crush
  3. net — after costs
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. firm — a company
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fall — to drop
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. net — for catching
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. firm — steady
  21. squash — the sport
  22. fall — the season
  23. net — in sport
  24. branch — a division

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