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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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. firm — a company
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. firm — steady
  8. mine — for digging
  9. file — a line of people
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. ball — a dance
  12. last — final
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. file — a tool
  20. last — finally
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. file — a document
  24. fan — to cool the air

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