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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bank — for money
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. scale — size or range
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. scale — in music
  9. hand — in cards
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. hand — help
  19. chest — a box
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chest — of your body

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