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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. chair — a leader
  4. firm — a company
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. saw — the tool
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cap — of ice
  10. scale — size or range
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cap — a lid
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. perch — the fish
  19. tube — a container
  20. cap — a hat
  21. tube — the underground
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. snap — to click
  24. firm — decided

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