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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. scale — size or range
  4. file — a document
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fall — to drop
  7. scale — in music
  8. bound — tied together
  9. fall — to drop
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. file — a tool
  12. mate — a partner
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. fall — the season
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — a company
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bound — certain
  23. snap — to click
  24. bound — obliged

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