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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. 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 — a company
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. rash — hasty
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. present — the time now
  6. file — a document
  7. object — a thing
  8. rash — a series
  9. land — to come down
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. object — to protest
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. file — a tool
  14. firm — steady
  15. present — a gift
  16. file — a line of people
  17. land — ground
  18. object — an aim
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. present — there
  22. stand — to bear
  23. land — a country
  24. 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