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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. hand — in cards
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. firm — decided
  9. fine — high quality
  10. hand — help
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. land — to come down
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. land — ground
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fine — all right
  18. branch — a division
  19. firm — a company
  20. land — a country
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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