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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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 — decided
  2. mate — to breed
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pass — a permit
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. tear — to rip
  7. kid — child
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mate — a friend
  11. firm — steady
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. squash — to crush
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. squash — the sport
  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