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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. firm — steady
  4. face — to confront
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bat — the animal
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. tear — from crying
  10. firm — a company
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. current — of water
  13. court — of a king
  14. season — in sport
  15. face — part of the head
  16. tear — to rip
  17. court — of law
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. court — for sport

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