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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. snap — to click
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rest — a break
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. firm — a company
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. firm — steady
  13. lean — thin
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cold — not warm
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. court — of law
  23. chair — a leader
  24. cold — an illness

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