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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — steady
  4. can — a tin
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. kid — child
  7. board — a committee
  8. firm — a company
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. hand — in cards
  13. can — to be able to
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mine — for digging
  16. kid — to tease
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. board — to get on
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. can — a tin
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. board — a flat piece

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