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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cold — not warm
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. firm — a company
  11. pit — in a race
  12. firm — steady
  13. root — the cause
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. root — of a word
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. root — of a plant
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cold — an illness

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