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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. firm — decided
  6. row — a line
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. swing — music
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. firm — a company
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mine — for digging
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. swing — to play on
  19. firm — steady
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rush — hurry
  23. stand — to bear
  24. deal — to handle

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