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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. cold — an illness
  3. spring — the season
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. court — of a king
  7. row — a line
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. rash — a series
  11. court — for sport
  12. spring — of water
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spring — a coil
  15. firm — steady
  16. suit — to fit
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. suit — clothes
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. court — of law
  23. firm — a company
  24. suit — in cards

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