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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. root — of a word
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — steady
  9. hand — help
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. root — the cause
  13. snap — to click
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wind — moving air
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. root — of a plant
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wind — moving air
  24. land — ground

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