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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — for catching
  4. chair — a leader
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. press — to push
  7. rule — a law
  8. net — after costs
  9. press — newspapers
  10. rule — government
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. firm — steady
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. firm — a company
  17. press — a publisher
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. net — in sport
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. nail — on a finger

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