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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. can — to be able to
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pit — a hole
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. drill — a practice
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pit — in a race
  14. snap — to click
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ball — a great time
  18. firm — decided
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. firm — a company
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. chair — a leader
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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