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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rush — hurry
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. last — final
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. band — a music group
  10. firm — steady
  11. dip — to sink
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. band — a ring
  16. firm — decided
  17. last — to go on
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. last — finally
  23. hand — help
  24. band — a rubber band

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