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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. firm — a company
  8. mug — to rob
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. firm — decided
  13. snap — to click
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mug — a face
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. game — a match
  23. mug — a cup
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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