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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. rule — a law
  3. deal — to handle
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. track — to keep track
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. track — a path
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. firm — decided
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. track — a song
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. firm — a company
  24. row — a line

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