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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ball — a great time
  6. march — the month
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wind — moving air
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — decided
  12. rule — government
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. march — the month
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rule — a law
  24. march — music

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