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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. last — final
  4. bore — to tire
  5. firm — decided
  6. fine — high quality
  7. firm — a company
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. fine — all right
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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