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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — music
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. foot — a measure
  14. firm — a company
  15. last — to go on
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pop — to visit
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. firm — decided
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. nail — for a hammer

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