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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pitch — completely
  3. staff — employees
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. hand — help
  9. present — there
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mine — for digging
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. firm — a company
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. hand — in cards
  19. firm — decided
  20. present — the time now
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. staff — employees
  23. present — a gift
  24. firm — steady

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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