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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mug — a face
  9. rest — a break
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bound — tied together
  13. firm — steady
  14. spring — the season
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cold — an illness
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bound — obliged
  19. firm — a company
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bound — certain
  22. spring — of water
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mug — a cup

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