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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. last — to go on
  4. firm — a company
  5. last — final
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ground — the earth
  8. firm — decided
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. ground — a position
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — for digging
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. last — finally
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ground — crushed
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. firm — steady
  24. safe — a strongbox

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