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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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — decided
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mug — a face
  5. last — finally
  6. chest — a box
  7. pop — soda
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. spring — of water
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mug — to rob
  18. last — final
  19. spring — the season
  20. last — to go on
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. firm — steady
  24. chest — of your body

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