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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. ground — the earth
  3. staff — employees
  4. race — humankind
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. spell — a short time
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. staff — employees
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. firm — a company
  19. staff — a stick
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. firm — decided
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. snap — to click

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