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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. firm — a company
  2. firm — decided
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. game — a match
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. branch — a division
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. last — finally
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. last — final
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. last — to go on
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. firm — steady

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