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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. lean — to bend
  3. track — a path
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. firm — a company
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. firm — steady
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. track — to keep track
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lean — thin
  22. track — a song
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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