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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cap — a lid
  4. firm — steady
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. drill — a practice
  8. sharp — clever
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pit — in a race
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. firm — decided
  15. spell — letters
  16. court — of a king
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cap — of ice
  19. drill — army training
  20. saw — the tool
  21. court — of law
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. court — for sport

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