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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. mug — a face
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. firm — a company
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. firm — steady
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. field — farmland
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mine — for digging
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mug — to rob
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. field — for sport
  23. squash — the sport
  24. field — a subject

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