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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. field — a subject
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. hand — in cards
  9. firm — a company
  10. pitch — completely
  11. hand — help
  12. pass — a permit
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. firm — decided
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. chair — a leader
  24. trunk — of a car

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