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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. firm — steady
  3. stand — to bear
  4. snap — to click
  5. lean — thin
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hand — in cards
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. lean — to bend
  17. firm — a company
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. firm — decided
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — for spectators

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