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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. lean — thin
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. club — a group
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cue — a signal
  8. club — for dancing
  9. cue — for pool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. lean — to bend
  15. tear — to rip
  16. hand — help
  17. firm — a company
  18. hand — in cards
  19. firm — decided
  20. cue — a hint
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. last — to go on
  24. club — for golf

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