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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. swing — to play on
  3. suit — to fit
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. land — ground
  7. swing — music
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. firm — decided
  10. swing — in golf
  11. saw — the tool
  12. firm — a company
  13. land — a country
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bat — the animal
  16. suit — in cards
  17. saw — the tool
  18. suit — clothes
  19. land — to come down
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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