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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. fall — the season
  5. degree — an amount
  6. firm — a company
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fall — to drop
  10. staff — employees
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bat — the animal
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. hand — help
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. degree — temperature
  23. firm — decided
  24. bat — for baseball

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