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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. last — to go on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pitch — completely
  6. cell — in biology
  7. firm — decided
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bore — to drill
  10. last — finally
  11. ground — a position
  12. firm — a company
  13. last — final
  14. swing — music
  15. ground — the earth
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bore — to tire
  19. spell — letters
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. cell — in a prison

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