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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. chest — of your body
  3. row — a line
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. row — to paddle
  6. firm — a company
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stock — shares
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. net — after costs
  14. mug — a face
  15. wax — to grow
  16. present — there
  17. net — in sport
  18. present — the time now
  19. net — for catching
  20. chest — a box
  21. firm — steady
  22. stock — goods
  23. mug — to rob
  24. present — a gift

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