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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. firm — decided
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. roll — a cake
  7. land — a country
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. capital — money
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. capital — a city
  15. land — to come down
  16. firm — a company
  17. toast — bread
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wound — an injury
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. firm — steady
  23. roll — a list
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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