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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. fine — high quality
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. firm — decided
  8. wind — moving air
  9. firm — steady
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. fine — all right
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. firm — a company
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wind — moving air
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bound — certain
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. last — finally
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. squash — the sport

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