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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. last — to go on
  3. drill — a practice
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cold — an illness
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. last — finally
  9. firm — steady
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mate — to breed
  12. drill — the tool
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. firm — a company
  15. last — final
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. drill — army training
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mate — a friend
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. cold — not warm
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mate — a partner
  24. deal — a big deal

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