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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. firm — decided
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. current — electric
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. firm — a company
  14. current — happening now
  15. face — to point toward
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. face — part of the head
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. current — of water
  22. face — to confront
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bat — the animal

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