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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. perch — the fish
  3. land — a country
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fine — high quality
  7. land — to come down
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fine — all right
  10. hand — in cards
  11. object — a thing
  12. hand — help
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. object — to protest
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. object — an aim
  19. land — ground
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — a company

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