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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pitch — completely
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. lean — to bend
  11. tube — a container
  12. band — a ring
  13. cold — an illness
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. band — a music group
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — a company
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. lean — thin
  23. perch — the fish
  24. tube — the underground

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