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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. land — to come down
  3. row — a line
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — government
  7. dip — to sink
  8. suit — to fit
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. last — to go on
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wind — moving air
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. suit — in cards
  15. suit — clothes
  16. last — final
  17. row — to paddle
  18. land — a country
  19. firm — decided
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. firm — a company
  22. land — ground
  23. wind — moving air
  24. last — finally

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