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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 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. degree — from a university
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rock — a stone
  7. firm — decided
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rock — music
  13. firm — a company
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. lean — to bend
  18. last — finally
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. lean — thin
  21. mine — for digging
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. degree — an amount
  24. kick — in football

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