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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. staff — employees
  3. firm — a company
  4. spell — magic
  5. land — ground
  6. firm — decided
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cold — an illness
  10. land — to come down
  11. spell — a short time
  12. staff — employees
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spell — letters
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cold — not warm
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — a hat
  20. rock — music
  21. cap — of ice
  22. land — a country
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cold — the Cold War

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