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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 124 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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — steady
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. club — for golf
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. club — for dancing
  12. cold — an illness
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pitch — completely
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. firm — a company
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. craft — boats
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. club — a group
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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