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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. last — to go on
  3. firm — decided
  4. drill — a practice
  5. last — finally
  6. drill — army training
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. fine — high quality
  9. spring — the season
  10. mark — a trace
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. firm — steady
  13. last — final
  14. band — a ring
  15. spring — a coil
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. drill — the tool
  18. band — a music group
  19. fine — all right
  20. spring — of water
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. firm — a company
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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