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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 116 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: file · can · firm · leaves · object · mouse · cold · last

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — steady
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — not warm
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. last — final
  8. file — a document
  9. can — to be able to
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. object — a thing
  12. last — finally
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. object — an aim
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. firm — a company
  21. can — a tin
  22. last — to go on
  23. can — a tin
  24. object — to protest

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