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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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Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. spell — letters
  3. cold — not warm
  4. spell — magic
  5. snap — to click
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. club — for dancing
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. club — a group
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pass — a permit
  18. face — part of the head
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. face — to confront
  22. firm — a company
  23. club — for golf
  24. firm — steady

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