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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. shower — to wash
  4. roll — a list
  5. rest — what's left
  6. roll — a cake
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rest — what's left
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bore — to drill
  11. shower — rain
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rest — a break
  14. bore — to tire
  15. cell — a phone
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — a company
  18. court — of law
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. court — for sport
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. court — of a king

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