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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. ground — a position
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ground — the earth
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. firm — a company
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. ground — crushed
  14. firm — steady
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. row — a line
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — with your hand

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