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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: fall · chair · dip · saw · snap · spell · firm · ground

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. ground — a position
  3. firm — decided
  4. ground — crushed
  5. snap — to click
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spell — a short time
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fall — to drop
  13. firm — steady
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. spell — magic
  16. fall — to drop
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. spell — letters
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fall — the season
  24. chair — a leader

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