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

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. firm — steady
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stand — to bear
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. firm — decided
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pass — a permit
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stand — on your feet

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