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

Word bank: cold · rock · drill · last · firm · deal · board · date

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. rock — a stone
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. board — to get on
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. date — the fruit
  12. board — a committee
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. last — finally
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. firm — steady
  19. last — to go on
  20. rock — music
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. last — final
  24. firm — decided

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