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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rest — what's left
  5. net — for catching
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rest — a break
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. net — after costs
  12. last — to go on
  13. net — in sport
  14. firm — a company
  15. last — final
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rest — what's left
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. firm — decided
  22. last — finally
  23. ball — a great time
  24. firm — steady

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