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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bank — for money
  5. firm — steady
  6. bank — for money
  7. stock — shares
  8. ground — crushed
  9. firm — decided
  10. stock — goods
  11. last — finally
  12. scale — in music
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mark — a trace
  18. last — to go on
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. ground — a position
  21. scale — size or range
  22. firm — a company
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. scale — for weighing

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