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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. key — the most important part
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. net — in sport
  5. bank — for money
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bank — for money
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cold — not warm
  10. net — for catching
  11. firm — a company
  12. key — in music
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. net — after costs
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bass — the fish
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bass — low music
  19. firm — steady
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. key — for a lock
  22. deal — to handle
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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