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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. chest — of your body
  3. staff — employees
  4. firm — a company
  5. pitch — completely
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. present — there
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. chest — a box
  11. staff — employees
  12. present — a gift
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wound — an injury
  18. firm — decided
  19. present — the time now
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fork — a garden tool

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