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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. firm — a company
  3. fall — to drop
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. club — for dancing
  8. firm — steady
  9. club — for golf
  10. tear — from crying
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fall — to drop
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. firm — decided
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. club — a group
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. fall — the season
  24. ruler — for measuring

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