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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. capital — a city
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. firm — decided
  8. hand — in cards
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. hand — help
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stand — to bear
  20. row — to paddle
  21. capital — money
  22. firm — a company
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. stand — for spectators

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