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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. land — a country
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. firm — a company
  6. lie — to recline
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. last — finally
  11. firm — steady
  12. drill — army training
  13. last — final
  14. land — ground
  15. firm — decided
  16. drill — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rock — music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. land — to come down
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. saw — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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