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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rash — a series
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. land — to come down
  8. wake — a trail
  9. land — ground
  10. mate — a friend
  11. firm — a company
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mate — to breed
  14. staff — employees
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. land — a country
  17. firm — steady
  18. rash — hasty
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mate — a partner
  24. tear — to rip

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