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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bound — certain
  4. drill — army training
  5. mate — a partner
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ground — the earth
  12. firm — steady
  13. mate — to breed
  14. face — part of the head
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. ground — a position
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mate — a friend
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. drill — the tool
  23. firm — a company
  24. perch — for a bird

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