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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. charge — in control
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. net — for catching
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. firm — a company
  9. lean — to bend
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. band — a ring
  14. charge — electricity
  15. wind — moving air
  16. net — in sport
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. band — a music group
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wind — moving air
  22. firm — decided
  23. charge — a price
  24. net — after costs

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