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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. land — a country
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. track — to keep track
  6. branch — a division
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bass — low music
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bass — the fish
  11. last — final
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. land — to come down
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. track — a path
  16. last — to go on
  17. firm — steady
  18. craft — boats
  19. last — finally
  20. land — ground
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. track — a song
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. firm — a company

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