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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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 — decided
  2. cold — not warm
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fall — to drop
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. firm — a company
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. squash — the sport
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fall — the season
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cap — a lid
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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