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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pit — in a race
  3. rest — a break
  4. kid — child
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. kid — to tease
  12. firm — decided
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. capital — money
  15. rest — what's left
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fall — to drop
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. fall — the season
  22. pit — a hole
  23. firm — a company
  24. rest — what's left

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