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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — a company
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fall — to drop
  5. net — for catching
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cell — in biology
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fall — the season
  11. net — after costs
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cell — a phone
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. firm — steady
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. chair — a leader
  23. net — in sport
  24. bore — to tire

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