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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. firm — steady
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. kid — to tease
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wake — a trail
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. firm — a company
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. kid — child
  16. pit — a hole
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wound — an injury
  21. firm — decided
  22. bass — the fish
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bass — low music

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