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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. file — a line of people
  6. last — to go on
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. staff — a stick
  9. firm — steady
  10. mug — to rob
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. mug — a cup
  14. file — a tool
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. firm — decided
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. file — a document
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mug — a face
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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