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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. cap — a lid
  8. firm — steady
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. swing — music
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cap — a hat
  16. fall — the season
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. firm — a company
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. mine — for digging

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