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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · suit · firm · plane · cold · straw · fine · ball

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. firm — a company
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. firm — steady
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. fine — all right
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. ball — a dance
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. hand — in cards
  12. firm — decided
  13. suit — clothes
  14. hand — help
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. suit — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. fine — high quality
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cold — an illness
  22. suit — to fit
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. plane — a tool

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