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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — decided
  3. club — for dancing
  4. firm — a company
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. spell — magic
  7. kid — to tease
  8. club — for golf
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. chest — of your body
  13. kid — child
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. ground — the earth
  18. spell — letters
  19. club — a group
  20. foot — a measure
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ground — a position
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chest — a box

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