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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 120 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: firm · ball · tube · object · rule · band · ground · last

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rule — a law
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. ball — a dance
  6. band — a ring
  7. object — to protest
  8. ball — a great time
  9. band — a music group
  10. rule — government
  11. firm — decided
  12. last — to go on
  13. firm — a company
  14. last — final
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. object — an aim
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. ground — a position
  21. object — a thing
  22. last — finally
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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