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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. drill — army training
  3. mug — a face
  4. rush — hurry
  5. firm — a company
  6. drill — the tool
  7. firm — steady
  8. last — finally
  9. swing — music
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. stem — to come from
  13. swing — in golf
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. last — final
  16. swing — to play on
  17. last — to go on
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pound — a weight
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mug — to rob
  24. stem — a stem cell

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