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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. last — final
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. last — to go on
  6. firm — a company
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. firm — steady
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bass — low music
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. last — finally
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bass — the fish
  23. kick — in football
  24. bass — the instrument

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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