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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — steady
  3. drill — a practice
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. face — to confront
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for dancing
  11. firm — a company
  12. season — in sport
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. drill — army training
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. ground — crushed
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. season — of the year
  20. ground — a position
  21. drill — the tool
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. club — for golf
  24. ground — the earth

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