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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. face — to point toward
  3. fine — all right
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fine — high quality
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. face — to confront
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. season — of the year
  14. field — farmland
  15. hand — help
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — a company
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. object — a thing
  20. field — a subject
  21. face — part of the head
  22. hand — in cards
  23. season — in sport
  24. field — for sport

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