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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. tear — to rip
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. firm — steady
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. game — a match
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ground — a position
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ground — crushed
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. firm — a company
  21. tear — from crying
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. tear — from crying
  24. perch — the fish

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