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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. spell — magic
  3. firm — a company
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. kid — to tease
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. spell — a short time
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. spell — letters
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. dip — to sink
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kid — child
  18. firm — decided
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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