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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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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. firm — decided
  3. last — to go on
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. firm — steady
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. ball — a dance
  10. squash — to crush
  11. last — final
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pass — a permit
  14. squash — the sport
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. firm — a company
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. last — finally

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