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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. drill — the tool
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. track — to keep track
  6. drill — army training
  7. roll — a cake
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. roll — a list
  10. track — a song
  11. stem — to come from
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rash — a series
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — a company
  21. track — a path
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rash — hasty
  24. drill — a practice

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