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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. firm — decided
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. march — the month
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. dip — to sink
  12. march — the month
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. firm — a company
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wake — a trail
  23. saw — the tool
  24. march — music

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