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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — decided
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. tear — from crying
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. staff — employees
  14. scale — in music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. firm — a company
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. tear — to rip
  19. staff — employees
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. staff — a stick
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. scale — size or range

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