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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — a company
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. mine — for digging
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. clip — a video
  9. spell — letters
  10. rock — music
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rock — a stone
  15. firm — steady
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. clip — for paper
  18. last — finally
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. snap — to click

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