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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. firm — decided
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. game — wild animals
  5. tear — from crying
  6. firm — a company
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bass — low music
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bass — the fish
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. firm — steady
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hand — help
  22. game — a match
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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