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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bat — the animal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cold — not warm
  12. present — there
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. staff — employees
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. firm — a company
  21. staff — employees
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. staff — a stick
  24. firm — steady

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