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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. land — to come down
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. land — a country
  6. present — the time now
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. firm — a company
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. staff — employees
  11. land — ground
  12. firm — decided
  13. present — a gift
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. drill — the tool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. present — there
  21. drill — a practice
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. drill — army training

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