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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pop — to visit
  3. ground — a position
  4. firm — a company
  5. ground — the earth
  6. firm — decided
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. last — to go on
  11. spell — letters
  12. pop — soda
  13. firm — steady
  14. ground — crushed
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pop — music
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. last — finally
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spell — magic
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spell — a short time

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