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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pass — a permit
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. ground — a position
  9. land — a country
  10. hand — in cards
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. land — ground
  14. mine — for digging
  15. last — final
  16. ground — crushed
  17. firm — steady
  18. last — finally
  19. land — to come down
  20. last — to go on
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. hand — help
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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