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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. hand — in cards
  3. ball — a dance
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bear — the animal
  7. season — of the year
  8. bear — the animal
  9. drill — army training
  10. firm — steady
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. game — a match
  13. hand — help
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. firm — a company
  17. season — in sport
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pit — in a race
  20. drill — a practice
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. drill — the tool

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