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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pit — in a race
  3. spell — magic
  4. bound — certain
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. season — of the year
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — steady
  10. last — final
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bound — obliged
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pit — a hole
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bound — tied together
  21. season — in sport
  22. spell — letters
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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