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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fine — all right
  6. firm — decided
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wake — a trail
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. firm — a company
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. stand — to bear
  21. firm — steady
  22. fine — high quality
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wound — an injury

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