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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 120 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — a company
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cap — a hat
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. object — an aim
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cap — of ice
  12. key — the most important part
  13. object — a thing
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. land — a country
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rash — a series
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. key — in music
  20. land — ground
  21. key — for a lock
  22. object — to protest
  23. cap — a lid
  24. land — to come down

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