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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 124 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. ball — a dance
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wound — an injury
  9. firm — decided
  10. suit — to fit
  11. wound — an injury
  12. suit — in cards
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. present — there
  15. firm — a company
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. suit — clothes
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. snap — to click
  21. present — a gift
  22. ball — a great time
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. present — the time now

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