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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. last — finally
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. firm — decided
  8. net — after costs
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. net — for catching
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. net — in sport
  19. face — to confront
  20. pound — a weight
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. face — to point toward
  23. firm — steady
  24. cap — of ice

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