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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. firm — steady
  3. object — a thing
  4. lean — to bend
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. shower — rain
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. roll — a list
  12. swing — in golf
  13. firm — decided
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. object — to protest
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. swing — music
  19. date — the fruit
  20. lean — thin
  21. firm — a company
  22. roll — a cake
  23. object — an aim
  24. swing — to play on

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