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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. lean — to bend
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pound — a weight
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. firm — decided
  9. squash — the sport
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chair — a leader
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. squash — to crush
  15. lie — to recline
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lean — thin
  24. firm — a company

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