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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. saw — the tool
  3. firm — decided
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. spring — of water
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. spring — a coil
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bore — to tire
  17. firm — steady
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. spring — the season
  23. bore — to drill
  24. saw — the tool

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