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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mate — to breed
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rest — a break
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. firm — a company
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stock — goods
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stock — shares
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. firm — steady
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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