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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. fall — to drop
  3. roll — a list
  4. fall — the season
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bound — certain
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. fall — to drop
  11. firm — a company
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rash — a series
  14. firm — steady
  15. bound — tied together
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bound — obliged
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stand — to bear

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