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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. board — to get on
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ball — a dance
  5. firm — a company
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. roll — a list
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. roll — a cake
  10. field — farmland
  11. spring — the season
  12. ball — a great time
  13. spring — of water
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. field — a subject
  19. board — a committee
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. field — for sport
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. staff — employees
  24. firm — steady

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