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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 120 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pass — a permit
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. firm — decided
  5. mate — a partner
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. net — for catching
  9. firm — steady
  10. bore — to drill
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chest — a box
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mate — to breed
  15. net — in sport
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bore — to tire
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wind — moving air
  21. net — after costs
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mate — a friend

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