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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bore — to tire
  5. spell — a short time
  6. last — finally
  7. bore — to drill
  8. firm — steady
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. cold — not warm
  11. spell — magic
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cold — an illness
  14. spell — letters
  15. last — final
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. firm — a company
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. last — to go on
  24. cell — in biology

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