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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. pass — a permit
  5. firm — decided
  6. degree — from a university
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. tear — to rip
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rash — a series
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — to bear
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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