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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. march — the month
  3. pop — soda
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — in a race
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pop — to visit
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. march — music
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bat — the animal
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. firm — a company
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pop — music
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. march — the month
  24. firm — decided

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