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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rash — hasty
  4. hand — help
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cap — of ice
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. stem — to come from
  15. rash — a series
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. firm — decided
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. firm — a company
  21. cap — a lid
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bowl — a dish

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