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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. firm — decided
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. squash — the sport
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. fine — high quality
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. fine — all right
  13. last — finally
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. firm — a company
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. firm — steady
  21. last — final
  22. cold — an illness
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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