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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. shower — rain
  3. firm — decided
  4. craft — boats
  5. net — after costs
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. drill — the tool
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. chest — of your body
  13. net — in sport
  14. craft — a skill
  15. snap — to click
  16. rush — hurry
  17. chest — of your body
  18. shower — to wash
  19. net — for catching
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. firm — a company
  24. chest — a box

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