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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mate — a partner
  4. tear — to rip
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wind — moving air
  8. march — the month
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. firm — a company
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. firm — decided
  13. scale — in music
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. march — music
  17. ground — a position
  18. march — the month
  19. mate — to breed
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wind — moving air
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — the earth
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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