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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — music
  4. shower — rain
  5. band — a music group
  6. kick — in football
  7. face — part of the head
  8. firm — decided
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. firm — a company
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bore — to drill
  16. band — a ring
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. chair — a leader
  19. face — to confront
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bore — to tire
  24. face — to point toward

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