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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. firm — a company
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. hand — help
  5. deal — to handle
  6. mine — for digging
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. sharp — clever
  10. track — a song
  11. hand — in cards
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. track — to keep track
  18. firm — steady
  19. ground — the earth
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. firm — decided
  22. track — a path
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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