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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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. present — a gift
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lean — to bend
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. content — happy
  13. wound — an injury
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. firm — decided
  19. content — the amount
  20. lean — thin
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. firm — a company
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. fall — to drop

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