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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 124 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. firm — steady
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. firm — a company
  8. file — a line of people
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. pit — a hole
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. lie — to recline
  15. file — a document
  16. squash — to crush
  17. land — a country
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. land — ground
  20. pit — in a race
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. squash — the sport
  23. land — to come down
  24. file — a tool

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