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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. 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 — steady
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. fork — in a road
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cell — in biology
  10. craft — a skill
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. craft — boats
  13. firm — a company
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. 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