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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bulb — for light
  3. net — for catching
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. land — to come down
  9. hand — in cards
  10. land — ground
  11. rash — a series
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. row — to paddle
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. land — a country
  19. lie — to recline
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — steady

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