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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. firm — steady
  8. spring — the season
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. wind — moving air
  16. spring — a coil
  17. court — of a king
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. key — in music
  20. spring — of water
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. firm — a company
  24. wind — to turn a key

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