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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. march — the month
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. ground — crushed
  5. march — music
  6. last — final
  7. firm — decided
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ground — the earth
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. march — the month
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mine — for digging
  18. ground — a position
  19. last — finally
  20. hand — help
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. last — to go on
  24. firm — steady

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