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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bear — the animal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. firm — a company
  9. bear — the animal
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. file — a document
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stock — shares
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. file — a tool
  18. firm — steady
  19. file — a line of people
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. dip — to sink
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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