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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. firm — steady
  4. staff — a stick
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. hand — help
  8. march — music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. key — in music
  12. firm — decided
  13. staff — employees
  14. key — the most important part
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. march — the month
  19. firm — a company
  20. staff — employees
  21. rash — a series
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rash — hasty

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